PMD2: Explorers of Fate
by animatedrose
Summary: One year ago, Team Legend was formed. As they rescue Pokemon and find treasure, they must solve mysteries after the disappearance of Sandra's older sister's team. With Time Gears vanishing and Pokemon being killed, the fate of the world is in their paws.
1. Prologue

Hey, guys! I had begun posting this up on Deviantart, so I thought I may as well post it up here too. Updates on this may be more frequent on DA, so you can check my DA account if you want. The link is in my profile.

Anyway, this is just something that popped into my head one day. At first it was only of an Espeon telling of her days as an Exploration Team leader but, after a lot of prodding from friends and such, I decided to write a whole story of her adventures. Yes, I've added plenty of my own events in addition to the storyline events (just like I did in PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness). In the future, I may allow OC admissions for recruits into Team Legend but not right now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2. Nintendo does. The other Exploration Team appearing in this story also does not belong to me. They were placed in a review to my other story and have been used little to not at all. Team Yami-Hikari belongs to . All other characters belong to me.

Extra info: _/hi/_=Sandra narrating, _hi_=thoughts or flashbacks, "hi"=talking

PMD2: Explorers of Fate

Prologue

The sun began to rise, revealing a small town placed at the edge of a forest near the sea. The salty water reflected the sunlight, causing it to sparkle brightly. Pokemon started wandering through the town, going about their usual day-to-day activities.

A purple feline with a red jewel on her forehead stepped out of a Pikachu head-shaped hut, stretching and yawning. Walking through the town square, she stopped near the edge of the ocean and smiled.

_/Hey there! Today's a nice day, isn't it? Kind of reminds me of that day so long ago…when I first met Carlos. Oh! You must be wondering who I am. Sorry for being so rude. My name is Sandra./_

A Blastoise came to shore and Sandra hopped onto its shell. The turtle Pokemon started swimming out to open sea. Sandra stood up tall, her violet eyes shimmering with joy.

_/As I'm sure you can tell, I'm an Espeon. But here's something I bet you don't know. I'm actually the leader of a famous Exploration Team! …Okay, so I'm only the co-leader but who cares?/_

Up ahead, Sandra could see another land mass appearing. A town was barely visible on the far shore, only recognizable by the bluff shaped like a Sharpedo.

_/I used to be a coward, afraid of nearly everything. But Carlos changed that. He gave me the courage to form an Exploration Team, my ultimate dream. One by one, my fears faded into nothing. Even my worst fear was conquered thanks to him./_

A memory appeared, the edges blackened by age. An Eevee was sinking in the water, paralyzed by fear. Air bubbles ran from her nose and mouth, her eyes wide in terror. The bubbles shot toward the surface as a shadow, shaped like a Pikachu, peered into the water.

_/That fear prevented me from doing a lot of things. But now that it's gone, it seems like nothing can stop me. My fears no longer put me against the world. Carlos freed me./_

The Blastoise stopped in the shallows of the far shore, allowing Sandra to hop off. The Espeon walked through the shallows and onto the sandy beach, shaking her paws dry. Looking up, she saw a young Riolu and an old Lucario waiting for her. The Riolu ran toward her and smiled, laughing as she hugged Sandra. The Lucario nodded in greeting, his eyes firmly shut.

_/These two are members of my Exploration Team. No, Carlos isn't one of these two. He left a long time ago… Anyway, the Riolu is Auraline. She hatched not long after Carlos left. The Lucario is her father and Carlos' best friend, Lucar. He's blind but he's powerful./_

As the trio proceeded up the path toward town, something leaped from the trees and landed in front of them. Standing up, he revealed himself as a Grovyle. He nodded to Sandra and joined them as they entered the town.

_/This is Grovyle, a fellow member of my Exploration Team. He had an especially strong bond with Carlos and knew him long before I did. Grovyle was once our enemy, but now he's a close friend of mine and one of the strongest members on my team./_

Entering the town, Sandra left her companions and headed toward the bluff. Stepping onto the familiar cliff, she pulled aside the leaves and went down the hole leading to their old base. Stepping into the hollowed-out base, she watched the ocean from between the stone teeth of Sharpedo Bluff.

_/And this is Sharpedo Bluff, where Carlos and I made our Exploration Team the best. I could've never made it this far without him. I'll never forget him./_

Another memory appeared, the edges also blackened. A Pikachu stood in the center of a lava-filled cavern, surrounded by golden light. He was fading. Sandra cried, tears pouring down her face. She was losing him…again! "Carlos!"

The Pikachu turned to her and smiled. "Bye, Sandra. I love you."

"Carlos!" The Espeon jumped, landing at the center of the light. But she was too late. Carlos was reduced to dozens of tiny golden spheres of light, all floating toward the ceiling and vanishing. He was gone.

_/The moment Carlos left, Grovyle returned. It was so sad. Without Carlos, the two of us grew a bit closer. But it would never be the same without Carlos. I miss him./_

Sandra suddenly smiled, tears in her eyes.

_/I could tell you about it. How Carlos and I first met, all the adventures we had, the friends and enemies we made, how we saved the world twice. Do you want to hear it? It all began last year, at this very beach below me…/_


	2. Chapter 1: Ocean Rescue

Chapter 1: Ocean Rescue

A young Eevee quietly followed her older sister up the stairs to Wigglytuff's Guild, where she was supposed to become an apprentice in order to form an Exploration Team. Sighing, she looked up at the quiet Umbreon that was her older sister. Her sister was part of a well-known Exploration Team, Team Yami-Hikari. Thus, most Pokemon held high expectations for her.

_/Yep, that's me. Cute, aren't I? I didn't evolve for quite a long time, actually. It was pretty embarrassing. Not that Carlos minded./_

Stopping at the top, the Umbreon approached her teammates waiting at the grate. There was Blake the Blaziken, Helio the Pikachu, and Corona the Delcatty. Corona was the leader of Team Yami-Hikari and was usually nice, unless you challenged her to a fight. She approached them.

"Lune, I'm glad to see you made it. Is this your sister?" she asked, looking at the Eevee. "She looks so cute! What was her name again?"

"Sandra," the Eevee replied quietly.

"Sandra is a cute name for you!" Corona giggled. Then she looked at Lune. "So, let's do this."

"Yeah," Lune turned to her younger sister. "Get on the grate so Diglett can get your footprint."

"Huh?" Sandra peered past her sister in order to see the grate. "It's not going to tickle me or anything, right?"

"No," Lune grumbled. "Just do it. We have a mission to go on, so I don't have time to baby-sit you."

Sandra nodded and stepped onto the grate. Nothing happened at first, causing her to relax. Then she nearly jumped out of her fur when something actually shouted up at her from the grate.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?" a second, much louder, voice shouted.

"The footprint is Eevee's! The footprint is Eevee's!"

Sandra screamed, leaping off the grate and tearing down the stairs in a flash. Lune shouted at her but Sandra ignored her. _Gotta hide, gotta hide, gotta hide!_ She raced through Treasure Town and tore down the path leading to the beach.

_/See what I meant by me being afraid of nearly everything? If I hadn't met Carlos when I did, there's no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be where I am today./_

Upon reaching the beach, Sandra finally slowed to a stop. The sun was beginning to set and the Krabby were blowing bubbles. Smiling, she sat down and watched the display in awe. She always felt happier watching the bubbles float across the brightly-colored sky. If anything, she envied them.

_I bet bubbles don't have older sisters,_ she thought sourly. _Bubbles don't have to live up to their siblings' reputations or accomplishments. They just get to be free and float across the sky, not worrying about being told what to do by anyone. I wish I was a bubble…_

Further down the beach, a Pikachu groaned as he struggled to wake up. Opening his eyes, he took in the sight of the beach blankly. _Where…am I…?_

"So, you finally woke up. You had me worried, Pikachu."

Slowly, the yellow mouse struggled to his feet and looked up at the voice's owner. A blue puppy with black markings and white disks on the backs of his front paws sat there, watching him. The puppy's eyes were firmly closed, his black ears shifting slightly with the ocean breeze.

"Huh? Riolu don't talk," the Pikachu coughed, trying to get the salty taste out of his mouth. "Where am I?"

"You're outside of Treasure Town, Pikachu. And why aren't I supposed to talk?" the Riolu asked, tilting his head slightly to the left. "You're talking too, I hope you know."

"Of course I can talk. I'm a human!" the Pikachu said.

"A…human? You look like a Pikachu to me. Then again, your aura does seem odd for a normal Pokemon."

"Well, I'm a human!" the Pikachu barked. "And my name is Carlos, not Pikachu."

"So, you do have a name. Mine is Lucar. Pleasure to meet you,"

"Lucar, why are your eyes closed?" Carlos asked. "Riolu normally have their eyes open, even when they're sensing aura."

"You sure know a lot about my kind, don't you?" Lucar commented. "To answer your question, I'm blind. I can only see by continually sensing the aura of my surroundings. I'd…rather not talk about why I'm blind, if you don't mind."

"It's okay," Carlos replied.

"You're really a human? Odd, since this world is filled only with Pokemon." Lucar noted. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"I'll prove it! I…" Carlos suddenly fell silent. "Um…uh…?"

"Is there a problem?" Lucar asked, growing uneasy with the long silence.

"I can't remember anything," Carlos muttered. "Only my name and that I'm human. What's going on here?"

"You might have gained amnesia somehow." Lucar suggested. "You might have been carried away by the storm last night and hit your head on something. The possibilities involving a storm are pretty diverse."

"O…kay?"

"I have a good idea that might help you figure out why you've lost your memory." Lucar added.

"You do? What is it?!" Carlos cried.

"Oh, that's easy. We'll just ask Guildma—"

"AAAAAH!"

Lucar and Carlos snapped to attention, looking toward the other side of the beach. A tiny Eevee was cornered against the ocean by a Gengar, an Absol, and a Manectric. The Eevee was shaking like a leaf. Absol and Manectric growled menacingly but hung back as Gengar stepped forward.

"So, your Lune's kid sister? What a weakling!" Gengar laughed.

"We expected a challenge from the sister of a powerful Exploration Team member." Manectric added.

"It seems we've overestimated you." Absol agreed. "You're not worth our time."

"G-g-go away!" Sandra cried, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes.

"Should we?" Manectric asked, practically begging for Gengar's permission.

"Hmmm… Sure, why not?" Gengar said idly, stepping aside.

Manectric struck as fast as lightning, crashing into the Eevee and sending her sailing into the water. The moment she hit the ocean, she started sinking like a rock. Her limbs refused to move as her hydrophobia took over. _I'm going to die,_ she thought.

Sharp teeth grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her above the water. It was Absol. The Dark-type started swimming further out until he reached the drop-off, where the shallows instantly became deep and the waters turned dark. Absol smirked. "Have a nice swim."

"NOOOO!" Sandra screamed.

Her body locked up again as she was forced underwater, sinking once again. Absol's form swam away, leaving her alone in the suffocating darkness of the ocean. She squeezed her eyes shut, salt burning them. Her lungs were screaming for air. _Somebody, help…me…_

_/Do you know what it's like to drown? Some of you might. I do. It's even worse when you can't swim or are afraid of the water entirely. Drowning to death is a horrible way to die. I just got lucky. I survived./_

A hand grabbed Sandra's paw, startling her. Her chest feeling constricted, she opened her mouth and unleashed the breath she had been holding. The hand dragged her through the water. Up, down, left, right, she didn't know which way she was going. All she knew was that her mind was getting fuzzy. _So…sleepy…_

The next thing she knew, three more hands joined the first and pulled her out of the ocean. Placing her on the sand, a hand pressed against her chest. A voice, so heavenly and kind, spoke to her. _Could that be Arceus?_

"Hang in there, Eevee!" the voice cried.

Suddenly, her throat was clogged with salt water. Coughing, she spat out as much of the vile liquid as she could before gasping for breath. Opening her stinging eyes, she saw two Pokemon leaning over her. As her vision cleared, she saw that they were a Pikachu and a Riolu.

"Are you okay, Eevee?" the Pikachu asked. The heavenly voice was his.

Sandra could only nod, focusing on breathing. Then she heard shouting. Turning her head, she spotted her older sister and her teammates cornering her attackers. She couldn't hear what they were saying but whatever it was ticked Lune off so much that she jumped on Gengar and screamed at him.

After the trio fled, Team Yami-Hikari approached Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra. "Are you all okay?" Corona asked. "Sandra, you poor thing!"

"Don't worry, kiddo. We showed those punks a thing or two." Blake bragged, smirking.

"Thanks for helping us," Lucar said. "Those three would have surely beaten all three of us had you not come along."

"Yeah, thanks." Carlos nodded.

"Hey, Sandra. You okay?" Lune asked.

"I think so," Sandra said, her voice raspy from the salt lining her throat.

"Good," Lune sighed. She turned to the Pikachu. "Thanks for saving my sister. You're pretty brave."

"Uh, thanks?" Carlos replied. "Lucar, where did you say I had to go?"

"To the Wigglytuff Guild," the Riolu replied. "Guildmaster Wigglytuff is very powerful and wise. He might know why this happened to you, Carlos."

"You're going to the guild?" Helio asked. The older Pikachu smiled. "If you're planning on making an Exploration Team, why not make one with Sandra here?"

"Exploration Team?" Carlos repeated.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!" Corona agreed. "We can take you kids to the guild right now. I guess we'll have to put that mission on hold until tomorrow, Lune."

"If you say so," the Umbreon muttered.

"Do you need help getting up, Sandra?" Carlos asked.

"I'm okay," The Eevee rolled onto her stomach and got to her feet. After a few false starts and a lot of stumbling, she finally managed to walk straight. "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 2: Team Legend

Chapter 2: Team Legend

Team Yami-Hikari led the trio up the path and through Treasure Town. Ascending a long flight of stone steps, they reached a large tent shaped like a Wigglytuff's head. Blake, Helio, and Lune stepped aside while Corona stopped at the edge of a large grate. She spoke to the grate. "I, leader of Team Yami-Hikari, have brought three Pokemon who wish to become apprentices here at the guild. Try not to scare Lune's sister again." Stepping away from the grate, the Delcatty gestured with her tail to step forward.

"Three Pokemon?" Lucar muttered. "Who said I wanted to join the guild? Oh well. At least it'll keep me busy."

"So, are all three of us staying together in a team?" Sandra asked nervously.

"I'll stay with you, Sandra." Carlos volunteered. "Maybe this guild can help me find answers to all of my questions."

"What questions?" the Eevee asked.

"He has amnesia," Lucar replied. "He can't remember a thing beyond waking up this morning on the beach."

"Get on the grate!" Blake barked, getting annoyed with the trio's chatter. The Blaziken huffed. "You can talk once you kids are accepted and have your own room. Now move it!"

"Eep!" Sandra reluctantly hopped onto the grate and braced herself for the shouting.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

"The footprint is Eevee's! The footprint is Eevee's!"

"You may ENTER!"

"Huh?" Sandra peered down. "That's it?"

"You have friends with you! Get them to stand on the grate! ONE at a time!" the second voice bellowed.

"Y-yes, sir!" Sandra cried, leaping off the grate. "Y-your t-turn,"

"I'll go," Lucar said, stepping onto the grate. He looked down, not even flinching when the shouting began. _The sentry is a Diglett, eh? And from the volume of the second voice, it has to be a Loudred. Great. I'm already blind. I don't need to become deaf, too._

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

"The footprint is Riolu's! The footprint is Riolu's!"

"You may ENTER! Get your final companion on the GRATE!"

Lucar hopped off the grate and stood by Sandra's side. "Your turn, Carlos. Get on."

"O-okay," The Pikachu stepped onto the grate and braced himself. He jumped when the shouting began. _Holy! These guys sure know how to be loud!_

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

"The footprint is Pikachu's! The footprint is Pikachu's!"

"You may ENTER!"

The ground shook for a moment, making Sandra and Carlos fall over. Lucar stood his ground, refusing to fall. When the shaking stopped, the gate that covered the entrance to the guild was gone. Team Yami-Hikari entered the tent, climbing down a ladder.

"Sis, wait up!" Sandra cried, running after her. Carlos and Lucar were on her heels.

Climbing down the ladder, the trio saw dozens of Pokemon chatting about happily. Sandra watched them in awe. Lucar and Carlos soon noticed Team Yami-Hikari climbing down the second ladder. Carlos grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, they're going down another floor," he said.

"Oh! Sorry." Sandra blushed and followed Lucar down the ladder. Carlos followed her.

The moment the trio touched the ground of the second floor, a Chatot spoke with them. "So, you're the three new recruits? This way, if you please." The bird hopped toward a door with a weird symbol painted on it.

"What's this symbol mean?" Carlos asked.

"Oh, that? Just something the Guildmaster painted on his door one day not long after he made the guild." Chatot replied. "I'm guessing it's either his own special symbol or just something he thought would make the door look nicer."

"You don't know which?" Lucar asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Nobody really knows what's going on in that head of his." Chatot answered.

Sandra wasn't paying attention to the door, though. She was ore interested in the window. "We're underground but we can still see outside! Wow!"

"Come on, sis. I think you're getting on Chatot's nerves." Lune warned.

"That's not too hard to do, though." Blake added.

"Oh, hush!" Chatot barked, glaring at the Blaziken. "All three of you, come here! This is the only warning I will give you. Do not, under any circumstances, disrespect or upset our Guildmaster. Doing so will be resolved with swift but harsh punishment. Understood?"

"Got it," Carlos said.

"Yep," Lucar nodded.

"Understood, sir," Sandra muttered.

"Good! You're learning already!" Chatot praised. "Now, in we go. Guildmaster, it's Chatot! I'm coming in!" Opening the door with his wing, he beckoned the trio inside. "Corona, you know what to do now."

"Yes, Chatot," The Delcatty turned to her team. "Let's go, guys. The rest is up to Guildmaster Wigglytuff now."

"Lune, I'm sure your sister will be just as great an explorer as you are." Helio added, smiling.

"Thanks," The Umbreon led the way as the four Pokemon left the guild and headed into town, walking toward the beach to return to their base.

_/I'm sure you must be wondering why my sister is heading toward the beach to return to their base. Despite your curiosity, we'll leave that a mystery until later. Besides, the real excitement is about to begin./_

Chatot closed the door behind him and led the trio into the middle of the room, stopping in front of a big pink ball with rabbit ears attached to it. Carlos decided to speak. "Um, Guildmaster? We're here to become apprentices."

A few seconds passed and there was no reply.

"Guildmaster?" Chatot said. "Guildmaster? Hello?"

Then they heard it. "Zzz…zzz…zzz…"

"…He's asleep," Chatot said.

"WHAT?!!" Sandra, Lucar, and Carlos literally fell over in shock.

"He does this sometimes. Just give me a second to wake him up." Chatot flew up and landed on the pink ball, pecking it between the ears once before flapping away in time to avoid a large pink paw swatting at him. "Wake up, Guildmaster. We have new recruits!"

"Awww! But I was having such a nice nap!" The pink ball turned, revealing itself to be a Wigglytuff. Rubbing his eyes, the rabbit finally noticed the three Pokemon in front of him. "Oh! You must be the new recruits! You want to be an Exploration Team, right?"

"Yes, please," the Eevee replied. "I'm Sandra, Lune's little sister. This is Carlos and Lucar, my new friends."

"So you're Sandra! Nice to meet you, friends!" Wigglytuff cheered. "If you want to be an Exploration Team, you need a team name. So, what's your team name?"

"Team…name…?" Carlos repeated.

"Could you give us a second to ponder on that, Guildmaster?" Lucar asked.

"Of course! Take all the time you need, friends!" Wigglytuff replied, still smiling.

"Well…any ideas?" Sandra asked, turning to her two teammates.

"What's our main goal?" Lucar asked. "Most Exploration Teams name themselves in favor of their goals."

"Well, I want to get my memories back and find out why I'm a Pokemon." Carlos replied.

"I want to make my own Exploration Team and, maybe, be even better than my big sister." Sandra said.

"And I simply want to have adventure." Lucar finished. "Let's get brainstorming. We need to come up with a name that everyone will remember for when we become great. A name that will stick out in tales that travelers will tell to others. Something powerful!"

"Team…Bravery?" Sandra suggested.

"No, that's too simple." Lucar muttered.

"Team Adventurers?" Carlos tried.

"Too simple," Lucar said.

"How about Team…Myth? No, that's not the word. Story? Legend? Yes, that's it!" Carlos smiled. "How about Team Legend, Lucar?"

"Team Legend? Hmmm…" Lucar tapped his chin with a paw, thinking.

"It sounds pretty but strong, too. I like it!" the Eevee said.

"Well, it seems good enough. All right, it's decided." Lucar agreed.

The trio turned back to Wigglytuff and Chatot. Carlos stepped forward. "Our team name is Team Legend, Guildmaster."

"Ooh! I like it! Team Legend it is!" Wigglytuff cried. "Registering…registering…all registered! Yoom…"

"Get down!" Chatot cried, shoving Sandra and Carlos to the ground. "Lucar, you too!"

"TAAAAH!" Wigglytuff cried, the room shaking from the volume of his voice.

Lucar, unprepared for the blast of powerful sound and wind that hit him, was sent flying backward. Crashing into the door, he slumped to the ground and whimpered. Sparks of pain shot through his back and tail from the collision. "Ow…"

"Ah! Friendly friend, are you all right? I'm sorry!" Wigglytuff cried.

"It's okay…G-Guildmaster," Lucar reassured, struggling to stand up again. "It's n-not your f-fault."

Carlos, escaping Chatot's grip, walked over and helped the Riolu up. The puppy froze, then turned to look at him in shock. Or at least as much shock as a blind Riolu could display. In his mind's eyes, Lucar could see the aura of a not-quite normal Pikachu beside him.

"Can you walk okay, Lucar?" Carlos asked, concerned.

"I think so…" Lucar attempted to stand on his own, only to fall to his knees as his paws snatched Carlos' arm. "Or maybe not…"

"Then I'll help you." Carlos replied. "Besides, it's what friends do, right?"

"…Right,"

"Oh, I love it when friendly friends help each other!" Wigglytuff cried.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. But in reality, she felt left out. _Those two are getting along so well. What am I even doing here? I feel so stupid now…_

_/Yes, I'll admit it. I was jealous of Lucar for a long time. Now that I think about it, it was kind of sad./_

"Friendly friend? Why do you look so sad?" Wigglytuff asked.

"Huh?" Sandra realized he was talking to her. "No reason, Guildmaster."

"I know how to fix that sad face, friendly friend!"

"Guildmaster, I'm not sa—AAAH!"

Lucar and Carlos instantly turned their attention back to Sandra, only to see Wigglytuff embracing the Eevee. Chatot hopped toward the duo and sighed. "The Guildmaster always does these things without any prior warning. I apologize if he spooked you both. The Guildmaster doesn't like to see others sad or hurt. Maybe that's what fueled him to build a special guild for Exploration Teams."

"Maybe," Carlos muttered.

"I thought she seemed sad." Lucar commented. "Her aura gave off sadness and shame. But now it's going away, being replaced by joy and belonging. It makes me feel…happy."

Wigglytuff finally put Sandra down and smiled. "All better, friendly friend?"

"Yeah," the Eevee nodded. "Thanks, Guildmaster. I needed that."

"Any time, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff smiled. "Oh! Now that you're an official Exploration Team, you'll need a badge and kit. Here you go!"

Wigglytuff placed a gold box in front of them, urging them to open it. Carlos opened it, pulling out a few items. A map, a bag, and three badges. Curious, Sandra took the bag and opened it to reveal a Joy Ribbon and a Violet Ribbon. Replacing the ribbons in the bag, they followed Chatot to their assigned room.

They walked down a hallway near the Guildmaster's room. Reaching the end of the hall, they entered a circular room with three hay beds placed in a triangle formation in front of a lone circular window. Chatot gestured for them to go in and watched as Team Legend observed their new surroundings.

"This shall be your room while you train here at the guild. Once you graduate, you'll be able to find or build yourself your own base." Chatot explained.

"This is great!" Sandra cried, rolling around in her new bed. "No wonder big sis never came home when she trained here. You live in the guild while you train!"

"Correct," Chatot said. "Your meals shall be provided here, too. All you have to do is train. Once you graduate, you can do whatever you please. While you're here, all we ask is that you follow a few simple rules."

"What are they?" Lucar asked.

"You'll find out in the morning. Chimecho, the guild's cook, will bring you dinner tonight. Then off to bed with you." Chatot ordered. "You'll learn the rules and a few other things tomorrow. Good night, Team Legend."

After he left, Lucar turned to his friends as he sat in the bed closest to the door. "Something about his aura tipped me off to something. One of the guild's rules will make us very upset."

"I hope we don't have to take survival training. I can't do that!" Sandra whined, curling up in the bed closest to the window.

"I don't think it's that severe, Sandra." Carlos reassured. "Oh! There's Chimecho!"

The living wind chime entered the room and deposited three apples in front of them. "Hello there! I'm Chimecho, the guild's cook and assembly manager. I hope you like my cooking at tomorrow's dinner."

"I'm sure we will," Lucar replied, biting into his apple. "Thank you."

"Oh, you're too kind!" Chimecho giggled. "Good night to you all. Sleep tight!"

As the trio devoured the apples, Carlos looked out the window. The sky was dark and stars glittered across it. The full moon shone above, casting its silver light into the room. _This place is so peaceful and beautiful. I wonder if where I lived as a human was this nice. Why was I sent here, anyway? I hope I can find out soon._

"Carlos?"

"Huh?" The Pikachu looked up and noticed that Sandra was talking to him. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember anything beyond this morning?" she asked. "Lucar said you had amnesia."

"No, I don't remember anything. Expect for the fact that I was a human."

"A human?! Really?" Sandra gasped. "Wow!"

"Guys, I think we should get some sleep." Lucar suggested, tossing aside his apple core and curling up in his bed. "I, for one, am exhausted. Good night."

"Lucar's right. Let's get some sleep, Sandra." The Pikachu yawned and lay down in the hay. "Good night."

"Good night." The Eevee curled up in her bed, feeling sleepy.

It wasn't long before Team Legend fell asleep, having their peaceful dreams. But far away in a forest, a dark shadow lurked in search of something. Something that would change the world forever…including the fate of Team Legend.


	4. Chapter 3: Disaster on the First Mission

Chapter 3: Disaster on the First Mission

Sandra led the way as Team Legend traveled through Oran Forest. Storm clouds were above but they were lucky that the storm wasn't starting yet. Their mission was a simple one. They had to rescue a frantic Raichu's little boy, a Pichu named David. It was simple, perfect for the brand new Exploration Team.

They were on the third floor, the site of David's disappearance. Lucar raised a paw and his ears twitched, searching for the Pichu's unique aura signature. Nothing…yet. "I can't sense him. He probably hasn't passed near here," the Riolu reported.

"Let's keep going," Carlos suggested. "Maybe he's further in."

"This way," Sandra walked down a nearby path, nose twitching. "David! Where are you?" she called.

Lucar and Carlos were a good four or five feet behind her, scanning the side-paths for any sign of the wayward Pichu. Again, there was nothing…

The bushes rustled in front of the Eevee, making her jump. She whimpered in fear. Then her nose twitched. _David! That's his scent!_ Smiling triumphantly, she stepped toward the bushes. "Found you, David! Come on out!"

"You found him?" Carlos asked. "Looks like our first mission is a success!"

"Hold up!" Lucar called. "Something's wrong, Sandra! That aura doesn't match that of a Pichu!"

"Huh? But the scent is his!" Sandra whined. Hesitantly, she poked her head in the bush. "David, time to go…home?" Her ears lowered, fear causing her body to freeze.

_/What had I been thinking? If I had known that would happen, I would have never accepted that mission. Unfortunately, it was about to get much worse…not just for me but for my friends, too!/_

There was no cute Pichu standing behind the bush. Standing there, eyes narrowed in annoyance…was a Staraptor. The big bird suddenly smirked. "Hey,"

_Lucar was right,_ Sandra thought.

The Eevee suddenly screamed as sharp talons caught her around the waist, hauling her up into the air. She twisted and thrashed, trying to get herself free. The Staraptor shot out from the bush and into the sky, carrying Sandra away.

"Sandra!" Carlos cried, running after them.

"I warned her, but did she listen? No!" The Riolu raced after the Pikachu.

"Lucar, can't you hit that bird with one of your Face Palms or something?" Carlos asked.

"They're called Force Palms, and no. I'm not high enough level-wise yet, and do I look like I have wings?"

"No,"

"There's your answer." Lucar looked up, sensing the Staraptor's aura in the sky. "It's about to rain. It looks like that storm's finally started."

"Great," Carlos growled.

A flash of lightning, followed by a crash of thunder, signaled the start of the storm they had been so desperately trying to avoid. Rain fell, turning the ground into a wet mud that threatened to grab the duo's feet and never let go. Regardless, they raced after the bird.

After what felt like an eternity, the bird descended toward the muddy ground. Landing in a clearing, he kept a clawed foot firmly on Sandra's back to prevent her from escaping. The Staraptor looked up and sighed.

"Boss, I'm back!" he cried.

"What took you so long?" a cold voice demanded.

"The storm delayed me, plus I caught someone else."

"You were ordered to bring back grub for the brat, not a companion. Idiot!" The voice paused before speaking again, curiosity laced within the words. "…Who is it?"

The Staraptor smirked. "Oh, you'll be glad I caught her. She's Lune of Team Yami-Hikari's little sister."

"Really?" The voice laughed. "Good work, baby! You're forgiven, Raptor…this time."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" The bird was nearly bowing in joy. "Once I drop her in the cage with that Pichu, I'll go grab some grub."

_Pichu? They must have David!_ Sandra realized.

"Did anyone follow you?" the voice asked.

Raptor froze, breaking a nervous sweat. "Well…yeah. But the storm probably made them lose my trail! Nothing to worry about, Boss! Besides, it was just a wimpy Pikachu and a blind Riolu. Just a couple of amateur Exploration Team members."

"I'm pleased that they lost our trail…hopefully. But I'm disappointed that you were spotted at all. Do you need another punishment, Raptor?"

"N-no!" Raptor cried in alarm. "Boss, please! It was an accident! I had no idea they were there until I was already in the air with this brat! Honest, Boss!"

"SILENCE!!"

The Staraptor ceased begging instantly. His feathers flattened against his body, making him look smaller. His eyes darted around the muddy clearing, trying to find his boss. Raptor began to hyperventilate.

In a nearby bush, Carlos and Lucar watched. They, too, searched for the source of the voice. Suddenly, Lucar pointed behind the Staraptor. A dark shadow stood there, a hand raised and covered with a violet glow.

"Poison Jab!"

Raptor screamed, the attack hitting him square in the back. Feathers tore free from the wound and the bird fell forward, his body locked up as the poison raced through his veins. "B-Boss, w-w-why?"

"Calm down, baby." The voice ordered. "You're not going to die. That's just a small taste of your punishment later. No matter how annoying you are, I still need your services. Be grateful that I still need you, Raptor."

Sandra, now freed from Raptor's sharp talons, peered up at the attacker. It was a Toxicroak that was missing the sharp claw on his right hand. The glow from his left claw faded after the use of his Poison Jab. The frog then turned his attention to her.

"Hey there, baby."

Sandra jumped to her feet and tried to bolt, only to have him stomp on her tail. She screamed in pain and twisted around, biting him. The Toxicroak yelped, lifting his foot. She bolted again but he was faster. Snatching her by the scruff and hauling her into the air, he placed his claw at her throat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, baby! Where's the fire?" he laughed. "No point in running from Thrax, baby. I could make quite a pretty penny off of you."

"Nooooo!" Sandra screamed.

"Leave her alone!" Carlos shouted, leaping from the bushes and crashing into Thrax's side. Putting himself between the Toxicroak and Sandra, the Pikachu growled threateningly. Lucar quickly joined him, helping Sandra up. "Don't you dare touch Sandra!"

Thrax grinned, laughing as he sat up. "You must be the two brats Raptor told me about. Persistent, aren't you?"

"Where is David?" Lucar demanded. "We know you have him! Give him back!"

"Why should I tell you, baby?" Thrax asked, standing up.

"If you won't tell us by choice, we'll use force!" Carlos growled, sparks leaping from his cheeks.

"Then come and get me!" Thrax dared.

"Gladly!" Carlos charged.

"Carlos, wait! He's too strong!" Lucar cried.

"We have…to help him!" Sandra coughed.

"Are you crazy? He'll kill us!" Lucar argued.

"We have…to try!" Sandra said.

"Sandra…" Lucar finally nodded. "Fine. Let's do this. But we lose, don't say I didn't tell you so."

"Promise," the Eevee nodded.

"Then let's go!" The Riolu and Eevee charged.

Carlos unleashed a Thundershock, which was easily dodged by Thrax. Claw glowing, he slashed at Carlos and sent the Pikachu spiraling through the mud. Lucar used Quick Attack, successfully crashing into Thrax's chest. The frog simply smirked and grabbed the Riolu by the head, smashing him face-first into the ground. Neither Pokemon got up.

"You going to try next, baby? I wouldn't advise it." Thrax said.

Sandra simply stood there, paralyzed with fear. _He could kill us,_ she realized. _This guy could really kill us. This is all my fault. I'm sorry, Carlos! Lucar! David! I'm so sorry!_ The Eevee was trembling, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was hearing a voice gently laughing and cold numbing her body. Sandra's mind went blank after that.

She woke up hours later, freezing in her hay bed back at the guild. Lucar and Carlos, their wounds bandaged, lay in their beds. Shivering, Sandra got up and limped out of their room, her paws numb. Entering the main room, she was greeted by a joyful Sunflora.

"Oh my gosh, you finally woke up! We were all so worried about you, Sandra. Your sister was so upset, it made me go 'eek!' just see her that way."

"What happened?" Sandra asked. "How did we get back?"

"Oh, your Exploration Badges brought you back here." Sunflora replied. "If your team gets knocked out in a dungeon, you're instantly brought back here."

"No, what happened in the forest? David…"

"We don't know," Sunflora said sadly. "Miss Raichu was very sad but she was happy you all got back safe and sound. Team Yami-Hikari is searching Oran Forest as we speak, searching for the kidnappers."

"How did you know David was kidnapped?"

"Lucar was still conscious when you all came back, but barely. He told us everything." Sunflora replied. "Oh my gosh, I've never seen a new team get this beaten up on their first mission!"

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. _We failed. Our first mission as an Exploration Team and we failed. Poor David…_

"Eek! That Thrax guy is pretty scary!" Sunflora whimpered. "Oh my gosh, you guys were the third Exploration Team he's actually beaten! He's one strong outlaw! Oh, if only Team Moonlight were here. They'd show him who was boss!"

"Team…Moonlight?" Sandra repeated.

"Oh, you don't know about them!" Sunflora remembered. "Team Moonlight is this super-strong Exploration Team who battled tons of Legendary Pokemon and gained their respect. They're ultra famous and trained at this very same guild! Isn't that so cool?"

"What happened to them?" Sandra asked.

"Oh…um…" Sunflora sighed. "Team Moonlight vanished while exploring Brine Cave six years ago. There've been hundreds of searches but nobody ever found them. There are rumors, though, that they went across the sea. That's so mysterious! Eek!"

"Sandra, you're awake!" Chatot gasped, emerging from the Guildmaster's room. "My, my, you sure had the Guildmaster worried. Are you all right?"

"Just cold," Sandra replied.

"You should go and get some more sleep. It's late, you know." Chatot urged, pushing the Eevee toward the hall. "Sunflora, you should get some sleep, too. Today's been a rough day on all of us."

"Okay," Sunflora walked into her room, bidding Sandra good night.

"Chatot," Sandra said.

"Yes?"

"What'll happen to David?"

"I don't really know, Sandra." Chatot admitted. "Thrax is unpredictable, that much we know. I'm surprised that you even tried to fight him. He's incredibly powerful, only rivaled by the Guildmaster and a few elite Exploration Teams."

"Like Team Moonlight?"

"Huh? Um, yes," Chatot muttered. "It seems Sunflora told you about them."

"They vanished," Sandra said. "How strong were they?"

"They were only ten points away from achieving their ultimate goal, Master Rank. They decided to take a trip to Brine Cave, despite the Guildmaster's pleas."

"What's at Brine Cave?"

"Nothing that Team Moonlight couldn't handle." Chatot reassured. "The Guildmaster and I have…bad experiences regarding that particular dungeon. Something must've gone wrong and Team Moonlight never returned."

"Oh," Sandra turned and started walking back to her room. "Chatot, thanks for telling me that. Maybe you could tell me more in the future."

"Maybe," Chatot agreed. "Now off to bed, if you please."

"Yes, sir," The Eevee reentered Team Legend's room and crawled into her bed. The numbness in her paws had faded, allowing her to feel them again. Curling up, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

_/You might want to try and remember the legend of Team Moonlight. It'll come in handy later. And, though I hate to admit it, I have to thank Thrax. Why, you'll find out later. We'll be meeting him again a few more times further down the road./_

As she dreamed, the dark shadow in the forest far away grew nearer to its target. A special relic made by the Lord of Time in order to keep time flowing. Something nobody dares to touch for fear of the disasters said to occur if it is removed from its rightful place. A small gear surrounded with a brilliant blue aura…


	5. Chapter 4: Trouble at Drenched Bluff

Chapter 4: Trouble at Drenched Bluff

"WAKE UP, ROOKIES! TIME TO GET UP!"

Carlos groaned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up and yawned. _I hate that guy,_ he thought.

"Morning," Sandra yawned.

"Why does he do that?" Lucar asked sleepily.

"To get us up in the morning…and drive us insane." Carlos replied, stretching. "So, today is another mission…right?"

"Yes, and it's nothing like yesterday's." Sandra promised. Her eyes lingered on Lucar's bandaged head and Carlos' bruised chest. "We won't fail this time!"

The trio headed down the hall into the main room and recited the three vows of an Exploration Team: don't shirk work, run away and pay, smiles go for miles. Once the other apprentices left, Chatot approached Team Legend. He seemed nervous and a bit guilty.

"I apologize for what transpired yesterday. In the history of our guild, an attack like this on a new team has never occurred. I won't be surprised if you wish to quit now but I promise it shall never happen again." Chatot lowered his head.

"We're not quitting," Carlos finally said, breaking the silence. "We made this team for a reason, Chatot. Do you think we're just going to quit because some criminal beat us to a pulp? No! We'll get him back for it, I promise, but we have a job to do now. We pledged to protect Pokemon everywhere and we're going to keep it."

_/Those words are ones I've never forgotten. If it had just been me, I would've run away immediately. But I wasn't alone. And I never will be./_

"Right," Lucar nodded. "Don't you agree, Sandra?"

"Y-yes! We have to keep trying!" the Eevee agreed.

Carlos smiled. "Thanks, guys." _What am I doing? I nearly got killed and yet I'm still doing this? I must be crazy…_ "So, Chatot, what's our new mission?"

"You really mean it?! Oh my, the Guildmaster will be so happy!" Chatot exclaimed. "Thank you so much! Now, your new mission is to escort a young Electrike through Drenched Bluff up to the sixth floor."

"That sounds easy enough," Sandra commented.

_So did the last mission,_ Carlos mentally added. _Look what happened there. We got our tails kicked, lost David, and failed the mission._

"I should hope so. Upon completion of this mission, you'll be a fifth of the way to Bronze Rank." Chatot added. "Don't you worry about that first mission. Team Yami-Hikari is searching for David as we speak."

"I hope they find him safe and sound." Lucar said.

"I hope so, too." Chatot nodded. "Now off you go, Team Legend! Electrike is waiting by the crossroads for you. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Chatot!" Sandra led the way out of the guild and toward the crossroads, where a clearly-excited Electrike was waiting. "Hi there! We're Team Legend."

"Hi! I'm Tito!" the Electrike greeted. "You guys are exploring with me to Drenched Bluff, right? Let's have fun with this!"

Team Legend and Tito traveled down the road, heading toward the bluff. Once they reached the entrance, they stopped to eat and check through their items. Deeming them ready to explore, Sandra led the group into Drenched Bluff.

Almost immediately, they were attacked by an Anorith and a Lileep. Lucar and Sandra teamed up against the Anorith, taking it down in a few hits. Carlos leapt to Tito's defense and unleashed sparks from his cheeks that electrocuted the Lileep, defeating it in one hit. Tito watched in awe.

"What the…? How did I do that?" Carlos asked.

"That must have been Thundershock, a beginning move that Pikachu can learn." Lucar explained. "You must've done it instinctively in order to protect Tito from that Lileep. But…it seemed stronger than a normal Thundershock." The Riolu tapped his chin in thought.

"Who cares? That was awesome, man!" Tito cried. "I can't wait until I can do that, too! All I can do is paralyze them with Thunder Wave."

Sandra smiled. "We have to find the stairs now, guys. Let's keep going."

The four Pokemon continued onward, locating the stairs at last. They traveled through the second floor without encountering enemies until they found the stairs. They were attacked by a lone Shellos. There was a Lileep in the room but it was asleep.

Sandra used Growl, allowing Lucar to cause the Shellos more damage with his Quick Attack. Another Thundershock from Carlos finished it off nicely. As Carlos walked toward the stairs, Sandra spotted the Lileep, now fully awake, attempt to attack him.

"Carlos, watch out!" she cried, using Tackle to knock Carlos away. The tentacles snagged her around the waist, squeezing as Lileep used Constrict. She struggled but couldn't get free.

"Let…her…GO!!"

Blue electricity crashed into the Lileep, paralyzing it. Carlos unleashed his Thundershock, defeating it but harming Sandra in the process. The Eevee yelped as she hit the ground.

"Sandra, are you okay?"

Sandra looked up and saw Carlos standing in front of her. She nodded and shakily stood up. "I'm okay. Thanks."

"I helped, too!" Tito boasted. "I paralyzed it and let Carlos beat it! Who's the man? I'm the man! Oh yeah!"

"He's pretty…prideful." Lucar noted. "Sandra, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. "At least we beat that Lileep. I'll be okay. It's not that bad, anyway."

"I'm really sorry, Sandra." Carlos said.

"It's okay, Carlos. Thanks, though." Sandra replied. "At least I got out."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

The next three floors were easy to travel through. Sandra, though injured, still did her fair share of the battling. Just before they climbed up the stairs that would lead to their destination, Lucar found something.

"What's this?" The Riolu picked up the piece of rock, having tripped over it a few seconds ago. "A rock?"

"Yeah," Carlos replied. "What are all those weird markings?"

"They look so beautiful!" Sandra cried. "I think I'll keep it."

"If you want to," Lucar handed the stone over to the Eevee. "What would you want with a rock, anyway?"

"These markings have to mean something. I want to find out what they mean." Sandra replied. "Plus, it's really pretty."

"Once we go up these stairs, our mission will be complete." Carlos stated, pointing to the stairs. _I guess Sandra was right after all. This mission was definitely different than our first one. No stupid Thrax to kick our tails and kidnap our client. I just hope David's okay._

The four Pokemon bounded up the stairs, arriving on the sixth floor. Tito laughed, leaping around playfully. "Thanks a bunch, you guys! Let's go so I can reward you!"

"Rewards?! We get rewards?!" Sandra cried. "Cool!"

"At least our services don't go unpaid." Lucar muttered.

"So, we use our badge to go back…right?" Carlos asked, pulling out his badge.

"Right," Sandra nodded. "Mission completed!"

Team Legend's badges suddenly started glowing with brilliant white light. As the four Pokemon covered their eyes, their feet left the ground and they were hurtled forward. They then crashed to the ground in a heap.

"Ugh…what happened?" Carlos asked, rubbing his head.

"How should I know?" Tito asked from somewhere below the Pikachu. "Get off, man! You're heavy!"

"My tail! Lucar, get up!" Sandra cried from somewhere to Carlos' left.

"I'll get up once Carlos gets off of my arm," Lucar replied.

Carlos slid off of Tito, releasing Lucar's arm in the process. The Riolu hopped away, allowing Sandra to fret over her flattened tail. Tito stood up and shook himself off. Chatot stood in front of the group, shaking his head.

"What happened?" Carlos demanded.

"Your badges brought you back to the guild," Chatot explained. "Once you say the words 'Mission completed', the badge automatically teleports you back here. None of you, with the possible exception of Lucar, noticed the teleportation after your first mission because you were all unconscious. The badge throws you through a spacial rift to bring you to another place."

"Oh…" Carlos sighed. _This place is so weird!_

"Now that we're back, what are our rewards?" Lucar asked.

"I'm sorry that it isn't much, but…here." Tito pushed forward a Yellow Gummi. "It's all I've got."

"It's okay, Tito." Sandra replied. "The exploration was fun. That's what matters."

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks again, Team Legend!" Tito climbed up the ladder and left the guild.

Chatot smiled and hopped forward. "Congratulations on a job well done, Team Legend!" he said. "You may retire to your room until dinner is ready."

"I think we will," Sandra replied.

Team Legend went down the hallway to their room to rest. Lucar started to slowly unwind the bandages from around his head, wincing every few seconds when they snagged on his fur. Sandra flopped down in bed and decided to take a short nap. Carlos sat in his bed and looked out the window.

"What's wrong, Carlos?" Lucar asked.

"I'm just thinking." The Pikachu kept staring out the window, watching the waves of the ocean.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Huh?" Carlos looked back at the Riolu.

"Do you remember anything? About your past?" Lucar repeated.

"Well…I remember a big storm. And I hear voices, mine and someone else's. They're talking—no, yelling because of the storm. The other's telling me to hold on but I think I lost my grip and I fell…into the ocean. Everything's dark after that."

"Did you see who the other guy was?" Lucar asked.

"No, I couldn't see anything except for the rain, waves, and a flash of lightning." Carlos replied. "Sorry if that doesn't help."

"So…someone must be looking for you then." Lucar said. "Someone who might know about your past."

"Really?!" Carlos cried. "I've got to find them then!"

"We could make posters and pass them out. Someone in the region will recognize your photo and come running to see you again." Lucar continued.

"Lucar, that's a great idea!" Carlos cried. "Thank you!"

"No prob—"

Lucar was cut off by the sound of something crashing into the main room. Shouting ensued, along with a loud buzzing noise. The buzzing grew louder and louder until a pair of Magnemite entered their room. Both Magnemite stopped upon seeing Carlos.

"Uh…who are you?" the Pikachu asked.

"They're part of Sheriff Magnezone's police force!" Lucar replied. "But what are they doing here?"

"HAVE YOU FOUND HIM YET, BZZZZT?!" a loud voice shouted from the main room.

"WE HAVE FOUND THE CULPRIT, BZZZZT!" one of the Magnemite called back.

"APPREHENDING HIM NOW, BZZZZT!" the other added.

"Apprehending?" Lucar repeated. "Apprehending who?"

"THE CRIMINAL WHO ATTACKED MRS. AZUMARILL AT DRENCHED BLUFF, BZZZZT! PIKACHU, BZZZZT!"

"ARREST HIM!"

"Huh? What?!" Carlos yelped as the two Magnemite grabbed him and dragged him out into the main room. "Hold on a sec! I didn't do it!"

"YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, BZZZZT!" a Magnezone ordered. "GUILDMASTER, WE'LL BE TAKING HIM TO THE STATION TO DETERMINE IF HE IS OUR CRIMINAL, BZZZZT!"

Wigglytuff nodded, looking on the verge of tears. Chatot comforted him, causing the pink rabbit to scoop him up and cry. Lucar ran out of the room, hauling a half-asleep Sandra after him. Upon seeing Magnezone, she snapped awake.

"What did Carlos do?" Sandra asked.

"HE ATTACKED MRS. AZUMARILL AT DRENCHED BLUFF, BZZZZT!" one of the Magnemite replied.

"But that's impossible! We were doing a mission there only a few minutes ago!" Lucar cried. "Carlos couldn't have done it!"

"REGARDLESS, MRS. AZUMARILL WILL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT, BZZZZT! TAKE HIM AWAY, BZZZZT!" Magnezone ordered.

The two Magnemite flew up the ladder and down the stairs, leaving the guild behind them. Carlos kicked and screamed, but he was unable to get free. They soon entered a hut shaped like the top half of a Magnezone and Carlos was dropped to the floor. The Pikachu groaned, rubbing his head.

Magnezone soon came in. "THIS WAY, BZZZZT! RUNNING AWAY WILL DO YOU NO GOOD, BZZZZT!"

Carlos groaned and followed Sheriff Magnezone to another room, the two Magnemite on either side of him. The room had an Azumarill, a young Marill, and a young Azurill in it. The Marill and Azurill were crying as they hugged their mother, who had bandages covering her injuries. Upon seeing Carlos, the brothers screamed and hid behind her.

The Magnemite pushed the Pikachu forward. "IS THIS THE CULPRIT OF YOUR ATTACK, MRS. AZUMARILL, BZZZZT?" Magnezone asked.

"I didn't do it, honest!" Carlos begged. _This world's even crazier now! I can't go to jail here! I've got to find the guy who was with me before I lost my memory!_

Azumarill sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no. The Pikachu that attacked me had black fur and red eyes. This young boy isn't my attacker."

"TESTIMONY CONFIRMED! RELEASE THE SUSPECT, BZZZZT!" Magnezone ordered.

The two Magnemite backed away, allowing Carlos to be free. He sighed and looked up at Azumarill. "Are you okay, Mrs. Azumarill?"

"Just sore," Mrs. Azumarill replied. "Electric-type attacks do hurt Water-types, after all. I should be sorry for the mix-up, dear. You must have been terrified."

"Not really," Carlos said, scratching the back of his head. "I was mad because I knew where I was during your attack. Sure, I was at Drenched Bluff but I was on a mission with my team."

"You have an Exploration Team?" the Marill asked.

"So, you're a good guy?" the Azurill added.

"Uh…I guess so." Carlos nodded.

The brothers looked at each other and smiled. "Cool!" they cried.

_/Though it doesn't look like it now, these two will play a big part in me and Team Legend's lives one day. How, you'll have to find out later./_

"YOU MAY RETURN TO THE GUILD NOW, BZZZZT!" Magnezone reminded.

"Oh!" Carlos smiled and headed for the door. "Bye, you two!"

"Bye!" Azurill and Marill cried.

Carlos bounded out the door and headed back toward the guild, following the mouth-watering aroma of dinner.


	6. Chapter 5: Beach Cave Excursions

Chapter 5: Beach Cave Excursions

_/The night Carlos returned from the police station, I remember that I was crying. Lucar was grateful to see him again, as was the whole guild. I felt guilty that I hadn't noticed the police taking him until it was too late to stop them. Something inside of me cried out when Carlos was taken away. Whatever it was, I never wanted it to happen again. But it would happen again…far too many times./_

Loudred woke the trio up, as he did every morning. Team Legend slowly roused, stretching and yawning. Once they were awake, they went to the main room and recited the cheers. Chatot came up to them to give them their mission.

"So, what mission do we get to do today?" Sandra asked.

"Actually, you'll be doing two missions to the same dungeon." Chatot replied.

"Wait a second. You can do that?" Lucar asked.

"Yes, you can do that with any dungeon as long as the mission doesn't take place on the same floor." Chatot explained. "These are your missions. You are to bring a Max Elixir to the second floor of Beach Cave and give it to Kricketune. Then you must battle against the criminal Yanmega on the third floor of Beach Cave and retrieve the Blue Gummi he has stolen from Graveler."

"Okay," Sandra nodded. "We can do this, guys!"

Team Legend left the guild and headed toward the crossroads to meet Graveler. "Are you the Exploration Team sent to help me?" he asked.

"We are Team Legend, at your service." Lucar replied.

"What happened, anyway?" Carlos asked.

"I was just on my way to Treasure Town this morning when Yanmega bumped into me." Graveler explained. "He started shouting at me because I hurt his wing. Then he attacked me and stole the Blue Gummi that I was delivering to a friend here. Please, you have to get it back for me!"

"Don't worry. We will!" Carlos promised.

"You can count on us!" Sandra added.

"If we don't get defeated first," Lucar muttered.

_/Yes, I admit that we were all a little scared of dungeon crawling after that first mission. But soon enough, that fear would vanish upon our next meeting with Thrax. But will it be replaced with courage? Or even more fear?/_

Instead of heading down the path that most took to get to mystery dungeons, Sandra led her two friends down to the beach. She kept walking until she stopped at a large cave. "Here we are," she said.

"This is Beach Cave?" Carlos asked in amazement. "I never thought that there would be a mystery dungeon so close to home. Isn't that…weird?"

"Yeah, it is." Sandra nodded. "This place should be easy for us, especially Carlos. Not to mention that if we beat Drenched Bluff, Beach Cave is easy to get through."

"Hey, do we even have a Max Elixir?" Lucar suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Sandra peered at him curiously.

"Do we even have a Max Elixir? I know you can find some at Drenched Bluff but we never saw one." Lucar said. "How can we complete Kricketune's mission if we don't have a Max Elixir?"

Sandra hung her head. "I completely forgot that," she whimpered. "I'm so stupid!"

"Hey, it's not your fault!" Carlos reassured. "Maybe we could go back to Drenched Bluff and find one."

"By the time we do that, somebody else will complete the mission for us." Lucar argued. "Either we just drop the mission or we pray to Arceus that there are Max Elixirs in Beach Cave."

"Even when we know there are none?" Sandra sniffed.

"Uh…" Lucar hung his head. "Forget it. We're doomed."

"Come on, guys! Have a little faith!" Carlos cried.

"Hey, I overheard you guys talking about needing a Max Elixir. I could give you one of mine."

"Huh?" Carlos turned around to face the strange figure.

"Here," A Max Elixir was dropped at Carlos' feet. "I have plenty of them, anyway. Good luck on your mission, Exploration Team Legend." The figure turned and walked away.

"What the…?" Carlos couldn't believe his eyes. _Could that be…? It has to be! He matched the description perfectly! But…why does he seem so familiar? And how did he know us?_

"Oh! A Max Elixir!" Sandra snatched up the item and smiled. "Carlos, where did you find it?"

"That guy gave it to me." Carlos replied, pointing behind him to further down the beach.

"Uh…Carlos? I don't see anyone." Lucar said.

"Huh? But he's right…there?" Carlos turned around but nobody was there. "Where did he go? He was right there, I swear!"

"Maybe he just left." Lucar suggested. "After our missions, we should thank him."

"Guys, I have to tell you something." Carlos said. "That guy—"

"Let's go, guys! We have missions to do!" Sandra bounded into the cave, laughing.

"Maybe you can tell us after the missions, Carlos. Let's do this first." Lucar said.

"Okay…" Carlos followed the Riolu into the cave, ears lowered. _It has to be him! But why is he in Treasure Town, where people could easily notice him? So many questions… I've just got to find him!_

Once they were gone, the figure reappeared on a nearby rock. The ocean breeze blew through his black fur, the sunlight causing his red eyes to squint. "So, it really was them. Interesting…" The figure turned and jumped away, leaving the cave and Team Legend far behind him.

The moment Team Legend entered the dungeon, it seemed quiet. Too quiet, to be precise. Lucar was quick to point out the large amount of water in the dungeon, leaving only sandy paths and rocky walls to guide them through the dungeon. As they walked, Carlos kept glancing at the water.

_Feels like I'm being watched,_ he thought. The Pikachu rushed ahead, never noticing the blue Shellos following just below the water's surface.

Sandra turned the corner, only to have mud splashed in her face. Yelping, she backed up and crashed into Lucar, throwing him into the water. He paddled toward the sand, only to be dragged under by the hidden Shellos. The second Shellos advanced on Sandra, throwing more mud at her.

"Carlos, Lucar! Help!" the Eevee cried.

"I'm coming!" the Pikachu barked, leaping forward.

Carlos allowed electricity to explode from his cheeks, electrocuting the Shellos. The blue slug refused to lose and slapped more mud at them. Sandra backed away, desperately trying to get the mud out of her eyes. Another Thundershock and the Shellos was down for the count.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"I th-think so, Carlos. Thanks," Sandra said, finally rubbing the last of the mud from her eyes.

Carlos looked around, finally noticing their missing teammate. "Where's Lucar?"

"Oh no!" Sandra cried, turning around to face the water behind them. Nothing was there. "Oh, I should've known this would happen!"

"What would happen?" Carlos asked. "What happened to Lucar, Sandra?"

"H-h-he…he fell in, right?" Sandra asked.

"In the water? I think so. Why?"

"The water acts just like our Exploration Badges do. My sister told me." Sandra explained, crouching close to the water in sadness. "If you accidentally fall into the water, you'll be teleported somewhere else on the floor of the dungeon."

"Teleported?!" Carlos cried. _This isn't good! Lucar could be anywhere by now. How are we going to find him?_

"The only way for us to be reunited is if we search the whole floor and find him or if we use the staircase to go to the next floor." Sandra continued. "Our badges will bring Lucar to the second floor with us if we go up the stairs. This is all my fault…"

"No, it's not!" Carlos argued. "You had no idea a Shellos would attack you. You had no idea that Lucar would fall into the water. It's not your fault, Sandra!"

"R-really?" the Eevee asked, looking up at him. She looked on the verge of tears.

"We'll find him, Sandra. I promise!" Carlos vowed.

_Carlos,_ Sandra thought, blushing. _Thank you!_

"Need a hand?"

"Huh?" Sandra looked up to see Carlos holding a hand out to her. The moment she saw his smile, she blushed again. "Thanks," Taking his hand, she got back up. "Now let's find that staircase!"

"That's the spirit, Sandra!" Carlos cheered.

Sandra nodded, still blushing. Then she turned and followed the sandy path, Carlos following her as they searched for either the staircase or Lucar.

_/Maybe this was the first time I finally realized that I liked Carlos. His smile seemed to chase my fear away and made me feel like I was floating on air, air that smelled like roses. Oh, Arceus! I think Laurel's made me a romantic poet… Who's Laurel, you ask? You won't meet her for a while, so be patient./_

After a while, the pair made it to the stairs. They had encountered another Shellos and a Shellder along the way, defeating them easily. Unfortunately, they saw no sign of Lucar anywhere. But once they went up to the second floor, they'd be reunited.

"Let's go!" Sandra ran up the stairs immediately.

Carlos, on the other hand, stayed behind for a moment to pick up a seed with a Z carved into it. He'd already found another seed with a fireball carved into it in this dungeon. Back at Drenched Bluff, he had discovered a few pebbles and a blue berry. Plus, he also had that Yellow Gummi from completing Tito's mission. _These might come in handy later,_ he decided. Dropping the seed into Team Legend's Treasure Bag, he ran up the stairs. _Here we come, Lucar!_

Once he reached the top of the stairs and entered the second floor, Carlos was shocked to see Sandra standing by a bruised and battered Lucar. The Riolu was hurt and gasping for breath, drops of blood falling to the ground from a deep cut near his left ear.

"Lucar!" he cried, dashing to the Riolu's side. "What happened?"

"I was teleported somewhere else and had to fight off the Shellos that grabbed me." Lucar explained. "I was attacked from behind by, what I believe, was a Corsola. Its horns caught me pretty badly and cut my head. I think there was another Pokemon there, maybe a Shellder or a Kabuto since I felt a hard shell, but I can't be sure. Just when I thought I was about to be defeated, I ended up here."

"We're on the second floor now. The badge brought you here, just like Sandra said it would." Carlos replied.

"Thank you," Lucar said. "But with these injuries and my weakened state, I won't last much longer in this dungeon."

"Oh, if only we had an Oran Berry!" Sandra whimpered.

"Oran Berry?" Carlos asked.

"They're round berries that a dark blue in color. They're supposed to be pretty common in this dungeon, but I haven't seen a single berry." Sandra complained. "If you eat them, they heal you up right away."

"Could this be one?" Carlos pulled out the blue berry he had found back at Drenched Bluff.

"Yeah! That's it!" Sandra cried.

Carlos handed the berry over to Lucar, who ate it gratefully. The cut stopped bleeding and his injuries faded, putting him back at full strength. Standing up, the Riolu smiled. "Thank you, Carlos."

"No problem, Lucar. It's what friends do, right?" Carlos replied.

"Yeah," Lucar nodded.

_/I always thought that it was amazing how Carlos always seemed to have just the item we need right when we need it most. I thought it was just a cool talent. It wouldn't be until much later that I'd realize just why he had that ability, how he actually did it…and what it was meant for./_

"Hey, where's Kricketune?" Carlos asked. "Isn't he supposed to be here?"

"We have to search for him, Carlos." Lucar replied. "He'll stay in one particular room, so it shouldn't be too hard to find him. We just have to hope he found a good hiding place."

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"The Pokemon in these mystery dungeons attack not only we Exploration Teams but our clients, too." Sandra explained. "It's that little problem that causes so many missions, mainly escort missions, to fail frequently. The clients are usually low level and can barely defend themselves. Our job is to complete the mission quickly so that our clients don't faint from being attacked."

"It's especially dangerous if you're in a high level dungeon," Lucar added.

"Oh," the Pikachu nodded. "Let's get searching."

Team Legend searched around the floor, managing to find the stairs to the third floor in the process. Bypassing them, they encountered a Corsola and a Shellder. The two Pokemon attacked immediately.

Shellder tackled Lucar, only to be thrown back and knocked out. Corsola stared at him in fear, only to get a face full of sand as Sandra used her newly-learned Sand-Attack. Corsola finally collapsed after being hit by Carlos' Thundershock. They were victorious once again.

"How did you do that, Lucar?" Carlos asked.

"I must've been that new move I learned back at Drenched Bluff. I didn't have time to use it then, so I decided to test it out now. Looks like it works wonders in battle," Lucar replied.

"We must all be around Level 8 by now, since I just learned Sand-Attack." Sandra said.

"How come you guys got new moves but I didn't?" Carlos asked.

"The next attack a Pikachu learns, if I remember correctly, is Thunder Wave at Level 10." Lucar replied. "I'll learn Force Palm at Level 11 and Sandra will learn Growl at Level 15. Just be patient, Carlos. Thundershock is pretty powerful as it is, especially since it seems more powerful than usual."

"I know," Carlos nodded. "I wonder why it's stronger, though."

"Who knows?" Sandra asked. "We have to find Kricketune. Let's go!"

The trio set off again, continuing their search for Kricketune. After a while, Carlos finally spotted him pacing worriedly in a room. Entering it, they presented him with the Max Elixir he had asked for.

"Oh, goodness me! You found one!" Kricketune cried. "Thank you oh-so-much, brave Exploration Team! I'll have your reward ready and waiting back at the guild. Thank you once more!"

Grabbing the Max Elixir, the Kricketune smiled. Carlos picked up his badge. "Mission 1 completed!" he said. He watched as Kricketune was engulfed in white light and teleported back to the guild. "Now we have to fight Yanmega."

"We should be careful." Lucar warned. "Yanmega are known to be extremely fast."

"Don't worry. We'll beat him. Right, Sandra?" Carlos asked.

"Huh?" The Eevee quickly nodded. "Right!"

Returning to the stairs, Team Legend climbed them and appeared on the third floor. Waiting for them, Blue Gummi in his hands, was Yanmega himself. Yanmega growled upon seeing them, clutching his prize tighter.

"Hey, why did we not have to go searching for him?" Carlos asked.

"When you accept a mission that involves capturing a criminal, you face them right away as soon as you get to the floor they're on." Sandra replied. "I hope we can beat this guy…" _If we lose, maybe he'll let us go._

"What do you brats want?" Yanmega demanded. "Scram!"

"We're here to take back what you've stolen!" Carlos declared. "Hand over the Blue Gummi or you'll have to deal with us."

"And who might you cocky brats be?" Yanmega growled.

"An Exploration Team! We're Team Legend!" Sandra cried.

"An Exploration Team?!" Yanmega backed up a bit. "How'd you guys find me so fast? I knew I should've taken that Graveler out when I had the chance. Stupid four-armed rock…eh?"

Sandra whimpered, trembling. _He's scary!_

Lucar clapped a paw over his closed eyes. _Oh no! Sandra…_

Yanmega slowly grinned. "Some Exploration Team…rookies!" he laughed. "You had me for a second there, I'll admit it. But in the end, you brats are in over your head. Prepare to suffer!"

"Guys, get ready!" Carlos cried.

Yanmega shot forward, using Quick Attack. Lucar and Carlos dodged to the sides, leaving Sandra to duck. Yanmega spun around and struck again, only to have his attacks dodged. Turning around, he growled in frustration. "Hold still, you brats!" he shouted.

"Sandra, get up!" Carlos cried.

"I-I-I…I can't!" the Eevee wailed. "I can't fight this guy, Carlos! I can't do it!"

"You can, Sandra!" Carlos encouraged. "You have to get up, Sandra!"

"Enough playing around!" Yanmega screeched, lashing out with glowing claws. "Night Slash!"

The attack caught Carlos in the chest, throwing the Pikachu across the room. Luckily, he managed to save himself from falling into the water. The last thing he needed was to be missing out on the action. He struggled to get up, his chest aching.

Lucar struck with Quick Attack, drawing Yanmega's attention. As he led the insect away, mud hit the Riolu's right side and made him trip. Yanmega sailed over him, missing by a hair. Turning, Lucar recognized the aura as a Shellos. _Great, a 2-on-1 battle,_ he thought.

A Thundershock suddenly knocked the Shellos out while a second Thundershock hit Yanmega from behind. Yanmega turned around and glared. "You little pest!"

_Man, my chest hurts. Maybe I have another Oran Berry…_ Carlos dug around in the bag until he felt something. Grabbing it, he ate it and instantly felt ready to fight again. _Is this what Oran Berries taste like? Man, those taste good!_

"This next move will finish this! Quick Attack!" Yanmega cried.

Carlos quickly dodged to the side and noticed something. _He can't turn very fast because he's so big. Maybe I can use that to my advantage._

"Guys, hit him when he turns!" Carlos ordered. "We can take him out then!"

"Good idea!" Lucar nodded.

"Okay, let's do it!" Sandra cried.

The moment Yanmega turned, he found himself hit by an onslaught of attacks. These attacks proved too powerful for him, causing the giant dragonfly to crash to the ground in agony. The attacks ended. Yanmega was defeated.

"Stupid…brats…" he coughed. "Fine! Take the…stupid Gummi!" He tossed the Blue Gummi at Carlos, who caught it easily. "It isn't my type, anyway."

Sandra smiled and picked up her badge. "Mission 2 completed!"

Team Legend and Yanmega were sucked teleported back to the Guild, ending up in a heap once again. After they managed to untangle themselves, Magnezone quickly arrested Yanmega and stood by. Graveler and Kricketune approached Team Legend to give them their rewards.

"Here's your Blue Gummi, Mr. Graveler." Carlos handed the blue jellybean over.

"Thank you all very much. Without your help, I may have never got it back." Graveler said. "As a reward, take this Brown Gummi of mine. Even though you don't have a Ground-type on your team, I'm sure you'll have a better use for it than me."

"Thank you," Carlos slipped the Brown Gummi into the Treasure Bag.

"Thank you for delivering a Max Elixir to me. You don't know how much I appreciate this." Kricketune said. "As a reward, please take this." He handed over a bunch of golden coins.

"Holy! 2000 poke?!" Sandra cried. "You mean this is all for us?"

"Of course!" Kricketune nodded. "Once again, thank you very much!"

As Graveler, Kricketune, and Magnezone left, taking the struggling Yanmega with him, Chatot hopped toward the team. "Good job today, Team Legend. With a total of 45 points, you're nearly halfway to Bronze Rank already. Now then…time to take the Guild's share from your reward."

"Huh?" The coins were snatched from Carlos' grasp, replaced with only two coins with the number 100 on them. "Wait a second! We earned that money fair and square, Chatot!"

"This must be the rule I sensed that would upset us greatly," Lucar muttered.

"Indeed," Chatot nodded. "Do you think these rooms and food come cheap? Oh, Arceus, no! Whenever an Exploration Team gets a monetary reward for completing a mission, the Guild takes its share to support itself. This is a rule that all Explorations Teams must accept."

"Oh, man!" Carlos groaned, looking down at the mere 200 poke they received.

"At last we got to help Graveler get his Blue Gummi back. That was worth it, right?" Sandra asked. "Besides, we might get more money if we keep doing more missions."

"Sandra's right," Lucar agreed.

_/That's the one rule that's never changed. Even now, we still have to pay the Guild. But we don't mind it anymore. Helping Pokemon is all that matters…even if it means getting no reward./_

Heading back down to their room, Carlos remembered what he planned to tell his team. "Guys, remember when Magnezone arrested me for supposedly attacking Mrs. Azumarill?"

"How could we forget?" Sandra asked.

"Well, her attacker was a black Pikachu with red eyes." Carlos continued. "And the guy who gave me the Max Elixir on the beach this morning was a black Pikachu with red eyes!"

"You think it's the same guy?" Lucar asked.

"Maybe," Carlos said.

"Shouldn't we tell Sheriff Magnezone?" Sandra asked.

"Maybe, but someone else is bound to see him. He'll be caught, I'm sure of it." Carlos reassured. "If nobody has seen him by morning, we'll inform Magnezone. Okay?"

"Okay," Sandra nodded, yawning. "Night, guys."

"Night," Lucar and Carlos said.

Team Legend soon fell asleep, the mysterious black Pikachu on their minds. Faraway in the forest, the dark shadow was drawing ever closer to the glowing gear. Claws reaching out, so close yet so far, ready to snatch it from its rightful place…


	7. Chapter 6: A New Teammate?

Chapter 6: A New Teammate?

Team Legend woke up the moment Loudred bellowed, ready to take on the day. As they went into the main room and recited the cheers, Chatot called for silence. He held a piece of paper in one wing.

"Last night, we received a report from Sheriff Magnezone that a criminal was spotted on the beach yesterday afternoon." Chatot said. "The criminal is a strange black Pikachu with red eyes, no doubt the culprit that attacked Mrs. Azumarill two days ago. Though it is not proven as of yet, he is thought to be the accomplice of the outlaw Thrax the Toxicroak. Sheriff Magnezone has requested that the Guild keep an eye out for him and arrest him on sight."

"Oh my gosh! A criminal here? Eek!" Sunflora yelped.

"That's not good, yup yup!" Bidoof agreed.

"It must be the guy from yesterday," Carlos decided. "So somebody else saw him, too."

"I guess we don't need to visit Magnezone after all." Sandra sighed in relief. "That's good. He kind of scares me."

"A lot of things scare you, Sandra." Lucar reminded.

"Oh, yeah…" The Eevee blushed in embarrassment.

"In other news," Chatot continued. "Team Yami-Hikari has finally returned from Oran Forest. After doing a complete and thorough search, they discovered a small cave that was no doubt a hiding place for Thrax before Team Legend found him. Thrax, unfortunately, eluded capture."

"What about David?" Carlos asked. "Did they find him?"

"Why not ask us yourselves?"

"Big sis!" Sandra cried.

The recruits parted to make a path as Team Yami-Hikari approached Team Legend. Lucar instantly sensed sorrow in all of their auras. When they came to a stop before the trio, Corona bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, Team Legend." The Delcatty whispered. "We couldn't find him. David was missing, too."

"We have reason to believe Thrax took David with him." Lune added, looking at Chatot. "We tried to find his trail but the storm had washed it away. We can safely say that the Staraptor and the other Pokemon that attacked Sandra went with him, too. They are all gone."

"No…" Sandra whispered. _First, we failed to save him. Now my big sister's team can't find him. Poor David…_

"We have also discovered something else of interest, Guildmaster." Blake the Blaziken said. "One of our teammates was prepared to evolve at long last. Only the previous night, another teammate evolved with no problems whatsoever. For some reason, he can't evolve even though he met all of the requirements."

"What?!" Chatot squawked. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Positive," Helio the Pikachu replied. "Evolution seems to have come to a stop. Luminous Spring has lost its light and no one can evolve there anymore."

"No one can evolve anymore? But how?" Lucar asked.

"I don't know," Corona replied. "Guildmaster, allow us to look into it."

"Okay! But be careful, friends." Wigglytuff begged.

"We will," Helio promised. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

Before Team Yami-Hikari left, Lune turned to her little sister. "I'm sorry about David. We did everything we could."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. We'll find him one day. I know we will," Sandra said.

"Thanks. Goodbye," The Umbreon turned and bounded after her team, climbing the ladders and leaving the Guild behind. "Corona, where will we go?"

"It has to be the Time Gears. They're the only things that could trigger something like this." The Delcatty stopped at the crossroads. "We'll head for Treeshroud Forest first. Let's move out, team!"

Team Yami-Hikari headed down the road that would lead them to the peaceful forest, unaware of the danger they were about to meet up with.

_Back inside the Guild…_

"Now, with that out of the way, our day will go about as it normally would." Chatot said. "Off you all go! Team Legend, I need to speak with you before you head out on your new mission."

Once the other recruits left, Chatot approached the trio. "What's our mission?" Carlos asked.

"I'll tell you that in a bit." Chatot promised. "First off, don't put the blame on yourselves. Thrax is unpredictable. We wouldn't have known he'd kidnap David if you three hadn't found him first. I don't know what he'd possibly want with him but I promise that we'll get David back one day."

"What'll happen to Mrs. Raichu?" Sandra asked. "Will she be okay?"

"Actually, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Currently, Sheriff Magnezone is keeping her under protective custody in case Thrax tries to attack her. But she has made quite the unusual request." Chatot explained. "She wishes to join the guild so that she can search for her son. Despite our reassurances that we're looking for him, she's proving quite stubborn."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Lucar asked. "We owe it to her to find David. We failed to rescue him."

"Well…there is something you could do. But it all depends on what you three think of having a new teammate in your exploration team." Chatot said.

"A new teammate?" Carlos repeated. "How?"

"Oh! I know about that!" Sandra cried. "Even after you've created your Exploration Team, you can still add members to your team. In dungeons, sometimes the Pokemon you defeat will respect you and wish to join your team. Other times, clients from missions may join your team as a reward for completing the mission."

"Really? I've never heard of that happening." Lucar commented. "Aren't wild Pokemon…wild?"

"The longer they stay on your team, the more they learn how to live in a community and interact positively with other Pokemon." Sandra replied. "But recruiting wild Pokemon can be pretty hard to do, especially if they're fully-evolved or very powerful Pokemon."

_/Yes, call me a know-it-all if you want. It comes with having an older sister that is part of an Exploration Team. But this is just from knowledge, not experience. Having to know all of this from experience would be very hard. I'm grateful my sister told me all of this before. I don't think I could handle learning all of this from scratch on my own./_

"So…Mrs. Raichu wants to join our team?" Carlos asked.

"Very good, Carlos! Yes, that is what she wants to do." Chatot nodded. "It's your decision whether to accept her or not."

The trio turned and huddled. "What should we do?" Carlos asked.

"Well, she is a fully-evolved Pokemon." Lucar pointed out. "That could be a good asset. But she might not know how to fight, which could be bad once we go into a mystery dungeon. Oh, if only we knew more about her!"

"Plus, she only wants to find David. Joining an Exploration Team is a permanent thing unless the team leader decides to let you go." Sandra added. "Maybe we should talk to her first so she knows all of this."

"Okay," Carlos nodded. "We'll talk to her and then we'll decide. Deal?"

"Deal!" Lucar and Sandra cried.

Team Legend turned to face Chatot once more. "Can we talk to Mrs. Raichu about this first?" Carlos asked. "We need to clear some stuff up before we come to a decision."

"Of course! I'll take you straight to Sheriff Magnezone." Chatot said. "Follow me!"

_But I already know the way,_ Carlos mentally whined.

Chatot and Team Legend left the Guild, walking down the steps and through Treasure Town until they reach Sheriff Magnezone's station. Entering, Deputy Magnemite greeted them and led them to a back room. Seated inside, wiping away her tears, was Mrs. Raichu.

"HERE WE ARE, BZZZZT! MRS. RAICHU'S ROOM, BZZZZT!" Magnemite announced.

"Thank you," Carlos said.

Team Legend entered the room and stopped in front of the Raichu. Noticing that she had guests, she hurriedly blew her nose and gave a small smile. Carlos felt guilt rise up in his heart. It was their fault her son was gone.

"H-hello, dears. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Mrs. Raichu asked, doing her best not to start crying again.

"We've come to ask if you're absolutely sure you want to join our Exploration Team, Mrs. Raichu." Carlos explained. "You wouldn't just be joining to find your son. You'd be helping us on tons of missions. And once we find David, you might not be able to leave our team right away."

"I know," Mrs. Raichu said. "That was all David talked about at home. He wanted to join an Exploration Team so much. Sometimes, he'd purposely get lost in a mystery dungeon just so an Exploration Team would rescue him. Afterward, he would try to join their team. But nobody wanted to recruit a Pichu."

"Do you think he did it on purpose this time, too?" Lucar asked.

"Most likely," Mrs. Raichu nodded. "I always told him that one of those times, he'd get real trouble. I just hoped it wouldn't happen. But now look! My baby's been kidnapped and I can't do a thing to help him except sit here and cry!"

"Hey, hey! It's okay." Carlos said gently, patting her shoulder. "We just want to know if you know the risks of joining our team. You'll have to fight wild Pokemon and you'll probably get hurt."

"I know," Mrs. Raichu replied. "I know how to fight. Joining an Exploration Team is the fastest way to find my baby. And, maybe when he's found, he could join Team Legend."

Carlos smiled. "Sure. Why not?" he said. "If you're absolutely sure about this, Mrs. Raichu…"

"I am,"

Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra nodded to each other. "Welcome to Team Legend, Mrs. Raichu!" they cried.

"Oh, you really mean it? Thank you so much! I promise to be a good explorer!" Mrs. Raichu said. "And, please, call me Joy. Mrs. Raichu makes me sound a bit older than I really am."

_/Yeah, we accepted her. How could we not? She was willing to do anything to find David, even give up her freedom. It's too bad we wouldn't find David in the best of situations. But that's for you to discover later on./_

"Okay, Joy. Let's go back to Wigglytuff's Guild and get you registered on our team." Sandra led the way out of Sheriff Magnezone's station and back to the Guild.

"So, Mrs. Raichu has officially joined Team Legend?" Chatot asked, hopping alongside Carlos. "It's good to see her smiling again."

"I know," the Pikachu agreed. He still felt guilty about making her cry but it was going down a bit now. _Now matter what happens now, I'll find David!_ Carlos silently vowed.

Once they reentered the Guild, Chimecho registered Joy as an official member of Team Legend. After adding another bed to their room, Chatot called the four to announce their new mission.

"Seeing as you've added a new member to your team, I've decided to let you guys try another rescue mission." Chatot said.

Sandra suddenly felt afraid. _What if we mess this one up, like with David? No, we can do this! We have to! I just hope Thrax doesn't come back…_

"What's the mission?" Carlos asked, shoving aside his fear. There were four of them now, including a fully-evolved Electric-type.

"You must go to Mt. Bristle and climb to the ninth floor. Once there, you must find Dodrio and rescue him. This mission would bring your point total to 65." Chatot replied. "But first, go prepare in Treasure Town. Mrs. Rai—I mean Joy! Joy may wish to fetch a few things from her home."

"Okay. We'll do that, Chatot." Lucar said.

"Good! Now off you go!" Chatot cried.

Team Legend left the Guild and headed to Treasure Town. Carlos was amazed at how many Pokemon and shops were there. Seeing the look on his face, Sandra laughed. "You look like you haven't seen a town before, Carlos!" she commented.

"I only saw a little bit of this place when Magnezone dragged me to the station. I didn't know it was this big!" the Pikachu cried. "Plus, don't forget that I happen to have no memory beyond you guys finding me on that beach."

"You've lost your memory?" Joy asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "All I remember is my name." _Should I tell her that I'm a human, too? No, not yet…_

Joy stifled a giggle. "Oh my! I could be talking to the son of the Pika Town mayor and not know it!" Seeing the look on Carlos' face, she laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. I was just kidding."

Lucar clutched a stack of papers in his paws. "How about you guys go and shop? I'll pass out these posters and tell everyone to spread the word."

"Okay. See you later, Lucar." Carlos said.

The blind Riolu turned and dashed down the street, handing out the papers to any nearby Pokemon.

"What are those papers?" Joy asked.

"Carlos said that he remembers a big storm happening just before he landed on the beach the night before we found him." Sandra explained. "Somebody else was with him, so we're trying to see if anyone recognizes him."

"Oh. I should hope that you find your friend soon, Carlos." Joy said.

"Thanks," Carlos looked ahead. "So…where should we go first?"

"I need to stop by my house first. I'll catch up to you soon." Joy reminded. The Raichu walked away toward her home, leaving Sandra and Carlos by themselves.

"Now what?" Carlos asked.

"Let's head to the Kecleon Brothers' shop first." Sandra suggested.

Carlos allowed the Eevee to lead the way, taking in the sights. He wondered if human cities were like this. He soon found himself in front of a large shop shaped like a lizard's head. Two Kecleon, one green and one purple, stood behind the counter. They both seemed pleased to see Sandra.

"Why, hello! It's good to see the younger sister of Lune. Sandra, am I correct?" the green Kecleon asked.

"Of course it's Sandra, brother!" the purple Kecleon said. He turned to the pair. "I've heard you've made an Exploration Team, Sandra. Welcome to our shop! What can we get for you?"

"What is there to get?" Carlos asked.

"Oh, it seems you've made a new friend! I've never seen you around here before." The green Kecleon turned to his brother. "Have you ever seen him?"

"No, I don't think so. It's good to see a new face, though." The purple Kecleon smiled. "Young Pikachu, we have many items at our disposal. Berries, scarves, orbs, TMs! You name it, we'll likely have it in stock! Just name it and if we don't have it, we'll find it just for you. Our loyalty belongs to our customers, after all."

"Indeed, it does!" the green Kecleon agreed. "What's a shop without its customers?"

Sandra picked out the 200 poke they received from their mission yesterday. Carlos quickly picked out the extra 58 poke he'd picked up from the dungeon floors. The Eevee quickly picked out four Geo Pebbles and two Oran Berries, leaving them with the extra 58 poke remaining.

"Thank you for stopping by, Sandra. Hope to see you again!" the Kecleon brothers said.

"Okay!" the Eevee nodded.

_/Yep, that's the treatment I received for being Lune's sister. Everyone had high expectations of me back then. As you can see, I've achieved them all right. But it wasn't easy. It never is…/_

"Oh, and my name is Carlos!" Carlos added.

"Hope to see you again, Carlos!" the Kecleon brothers said.

As the duo headed back to deposit their money at Duskull Bank, Carlos' ears twitched as he heard a pair of familiar voices. Stopping, he searched until he found the source. Azurill and Marill, Mrs. Azumarill's two sons, were talking to a Drowzee. The brothers were literally jumping for joy. Leaving Sandra to drop off the money, Carlos decided to find out what was going on.

"Hey, it's you two again." Carlos said.

"It's Mr. Pikachu again!" Azurill cried. "Hi!"

"Please, call me Carlos." Carlos said. "What's got you two so happy?"

"Well, we lost something very important to us. Mr. Drowzee here said that he might have found it for us." Marill explained.

"Really? Wow! That's nice of you, uh…" Carlos let the sentence drop. If he didn't enjoy being called Mr. Pikachu, he didn't want to upset the Drowzee.

"Just call me Drowzee." Drowzee replied. "And I'm very happy to help out. It'd be cruel of me not to help out a pair of kids."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Drowzee!" Marill cried. "You don't know what this means to us, really!"

"Yeah! Thanks!" Azurill nodded.

"Well then, follow me. I'll show you where I found it." Drowzee said.

_/That's when it happened. If only I had been paying attention, I might've understood what was happening and believed Carlos. But I didn't. Not until it was too late, that is./_

As Drowzee passed, he tripped on a rock and stumbled. Carlos quickly moved forward, catching the Psychic-type's arm to stop his fall. Once Drowzee regained his foot, he smiled.

"Thanks, kid. That would've been a bad tumble." Drowzee said.

"No problem," Carlos replied.

"Okay, kids! Let's go find your lost item!" Drowzee led the brothers away, heading down toward the crossroads and out of Treasure Town.

Carlos smiled. _What a nice guy,_ he thought. Suddenly, the Pikachu stumbled. _What the…? Why am I so dizzy?_ His vision was fading to black and before Carlos knew it, he had fallen flat on his back as his vision left him.

"H-h-help!" a small voice cried.

_What was that? Azurill?! What's wrong?_ Carlos suddenly blinked and the darkness faded. Sandra was peering down at him in worry.

"Carlos, are you okay? You suddenly just fell after Drowzee left." Sandra explained. "Carlos? Say something!"

But Carlos wasn't paying attention. All he could hear was Azurill's tiny voice in his head, crying out for help. _What's wrong with me?!_


	8. Chapter 7: Rescues at Mt Bristle

Chapter 7: Rescues at Mt. Bristle

Lucar and Joy returned to find Sandra trying to speak with a dazed Carlos. Stepping forward, Lucar could sense confusion and panic in the Pikachu's aura. "Carlos, is something wrong?" he asked.

Carlos simply nodded. _Was I just hearing things? But it sounded so real. What's going on here?!_

"He won't talk to me at all, guys!" Sandra cried. "I left him alone for a moment to put away our excess money and when I return, he's flat on his back!"

"Did someone attack him?" Joy asked.

"I don't know!" Sandra cried, looking on the brink of tears. "Carlos, talk to me! Please!"

"I…I…" Carlos tried to talk. "I think…I heard Azurill calling for help."

"Azurill?" Lucar repeated. "I just saw him leave with Marill and Drowzee. I didn't hear anything."

"I would've known if I heard someone call for help. I didn't hear anything, though." Joy said. "Maybe you're just tired, Carlos."

Carlos numbly nodded. _Maybe they're right,_ he thought. _Azurill's not in any danger. He's just fine. But…why does something tell me that I'm just kidding myself?_

"Hey, there you guys are!" a voice cried.

"Bidoof!" Sandra said. "What are you doing here?"

"Stocking up for a mission, yup yup! But I need a bit of help picking a mission. Mind helping me out?" Bidoof asked.

"Sure! Why not?" Joy said. "Helping others, even outside of mystery dungeons, is an Exploration Team's job."

"By golly, what's wrong with Carlos?" Bidoof asked, concerned. "You look like you saw a Ghost-type Pokemon or something."

"I'm fine," Carlos replied. He shakily stood up and looked around. "Just thought I heard something odd."

"Oh," Bidoof accepted the response. "Well, come on then! Gosh, I'm glad you guys will help me out."

"No problem, Bidoof." Carlos said. "Let's find you a good mission."

Reentering Wigglytuff's Guild, they went to the first floor and stood in front of a bulletin board. On it were a bunch of papers with pictures and writing. On the other wall was a similar bulletin board with the words 'Job Bulletin Board' written on it. The one Team Legend and Bidoof stood in front of had the words 'Outlaw Notice Board' written on it.

"Chatot ordered me to pick a mission that involves beating an outlaw. Since I'm a rookie, just like you guys, I can only take up to C-rank missions." Bidoof explained. "But all of these outlaws look pretty scary. By golly, I'm too afraid to fight any of them. But since you guys beat your first outlaw, I want your opinion on who would be a good outlaw for me to fight."

"Well, you're definitely right. They all look pretty scary, Bidoof." Sandra agreed, shuddering. "Yanmega wasn't all that easy to take down." _Especially since I didn't do anything but cower and hide. I'm such a coward…_

"Don't worry, Bidoof. We'll find the perfect outlaw for you to beat." Carlos said.

The Pikachu's eyes scanned the posters, taking in the ranks and bounty on each one. A select few easily caught his eye thanks to their huge bounties. A smirking Weavile, a roaring Gyarados, a glaring Froslass, Thrax the Toxicroak, and a frowning Grovyle. His eyes lingered on the Grovyle. He felt as if he recognized him. But from where?

"You find anything?" Bidoof asked.

"I think you could easily beat this Sunkern." Joy suggested, pointing to one of the posters. "She's E-rank and seems pretty weak. Just the perfect target for a beginner."

"Wow, that does sound easy. Thanks for the help, guys!" Bidoof cried. Then he noticed Carlos staring at the posters. "Is something the matter, Carlos?"

"Bidoof, who are these guys?" Carlos pointed to the four posters. He had no need to point out Thrax.

"Those guys, including that mean ol' Thrax, are the Big Five Outlaws. They're known for pulling big heists all over the land and are pretty famous. That Grovyle there only recently got put up with them for attacking a group of wandering Sableye up north. He's new but he's tough. I heard he took all of those Sableye out with three strikes! They're all pretty dangerous, if you ask me." Bidoof replied.

"I've heard of them, too." Joy nodded. "Thrax is a well-known kidnapper. He stole my little boy from me. I don't care how strong he is. Like my mother used to say, 'Hell has no wrath like that of a woman scorned'. Well, Thrax sure scorned me by taking my son."

Lucar took a step back in shock. The Raichu's aura was filled with so much hatred that he began to tremble. _I definitely wouldn't want to be her enemy,_ the Riolu thought.

_/Mrs. Raichu is definitely scary when she's mad. But would you be, too? Her kid was stolen away from her, for Arceus' sake! I think that even I'd want a little revenge if that happened to me./_

"Thrax better watch out then." Carlos chuckled, resting one paw on top of a poster.

Suddenly, his vision began swimming again. It quickly faded to black, only to have a flash of light shoot across his mind's eye. Suddenly, he was floating above a strange scene. On the ground below was Azurill cowering before Drowzee. Drowzee took a step forward and Azurill began to cry.

"H-h-help!" Azurill wailed.

_That's what I heard before!_ Carlos realized. _Azurill really is in trouble!_

Drowzee smirked. "Nobody coming to help you, Azurill. Just do me this one little favor and I'll let you go. Now come here!" Drowzee suddenly lunged.

Carlos blinked, the vision ending instantly. _I was right! But what does Drowzee want with Azurill?_

"Carlos, are you okay?" Bidoof asked.

"Oh, no! Not again!" Sandra cried.

Carlos shakily stood up. "I saw Azurill!" he gasped. "Drowzee had him cornered somewhere and demanded that he do something for him."

"What are you talking about?" Bidoof asked.

"Maybe we should put off our mission for today. You must be really tired if you're seeing things, Carlos." Joy said.

"I'm not tired! I'm telling the truth!" Carlos cried.

As Lucar opened his mouth to argued, he sensed fear suddenly appear in Sandra's aura. Turning to her, he tilted his head in confusion. "Sandra, is something wrong?"

"Look," Sandra squeaked.

She was pointing to the poster Carlos had his paw on only moments before he fell to the ground for the second time that day. Joy, Bidoof, and Carlos looked at the poster and gasped. On the poster was a picture of Drowzee, along with a bounty.

"What? What is it?!" Lucar demanded. "I can't see it, if you've forgotten!"

"Sorry, Lucar," Carlos replied. "It's Drowzee! He's a criminal!"

"And you knew," Sandra added. "How?"

"I don't know. I saw it in my head when he bumped into me and when I touched his wanted poster." Carlos explained.

"You can see visions? I've never heard of a Pokemon having that ability before." Joy said. "But this may work in our favor. If Azurill's in danger, we must go rescue him!"

"Hang on! I don't get it! What's going on?" Bidoof asked, confused beyond belief.

"We'll tell you later, Bidoof! We have to go!" Carlos said. "Let's move, guys! Azurill needs us!"

Team Legend quickly raced out of the Guild and came to a stop at the crossroads. Marill, upon spotting them, told them how Drowzee took Azurill to search further down the road and that they mysteriously vanished. With Lucar in the lead, the group ran down the road in search of Azurill.

"This is where Azurill's aura leads. How ironic that our next mission is supposed to take place here, too." Lucar joked.

"We can deal with our mission later. Right now, we have to save Azurill." Carlos said.

"Thank you so much! If anyone can save my brother, it's you guys!" Marill cried.

"Drowzee will be pretty powerful. I'm guessing you're all around Level 9 or 10 by now, right?" Joy asked. "From what I've read, Drowzee is Level 12. I'm Level 13, one level above him."

"Then we have the advantage. Plus, it's four against one." Lucar added. "Drowzee won't stand a chance."

Carlos turned to Marill. "Don't worry. We'll get Azurill back for you. I promise!"

"Okay," Marill nodded. "I'm counting on you guys!"

"We'll be back soon, Marill." Sandra said.

Team Legend turned and entered Mt. Bristle to rescue the captured Azurill. Stepping onto the first floor, they encountered a Spinarak. A quick Thundershock from Sparks and a Tackle from Sandra defeated it. Moving through the dungeon, they suddenly began discussing their assigned mission.

"There are ten floors in Mt. Bristle and Dodrio should be on the ninth. We could rescue Dodrio and then move on to rescuing Azurill." Lucar said. "We'd complete both missions."

"If you say so," Carlos muttered. "Let's do this!"

The various Spinarak and Starly they encountered were easily defeated. The challenge came when they had to fight against their first Geodude. Electric-type attacks did little to nothing and Normal-type attacks were just as useless. Lucar stood little chance against it, too. Rock-types would be a problem at the moment.

"How do we beat this thing?" Carlos growled, dodging another Tackle. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"Lucar, aren't you good against these things?" Sandra asked.

"Only if I knew Fighting-type moves, which I don't currently. Force Palm is still two levels away!" the Riolu replied. "We're gonna have to knock it out or just run for it."

"Run? We can do that?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, but be careful of corners! Wild Pokemon can still attack you if you round corners." Lucar said. "Are we going to run, Carlos?"

"Yeah! Run, guys!" the Pikachu cried.

_/Running may seem like a cowardly thing to do, but running has saved our lives quite a few times. Running proves that you know your limits and aren't afraid to give up in a hopeless situation. If you don't know your limits, you'll only succeed in hurting yourself./_

The four Pokemon turned tail and raced away from the Geodude. Tearing through nearby tunnels, Joy was quick to point out the stairs. Running up them, Team Legend took a short breather.

"Maybe we should use this time to level up," Joy suggested between pants. "If Lucar can learn Force Palm, Geodude won't be a problem."

"Good idea. Let's do that." Carlos said.

The next seven floors of Mt. Bristle became the scene of a long training session. Their main targets were Starly, Doduo, Spinarak, and the occasional Machop. After discovering the presence of Nidorina and Nidorino on the fourth floor and up, they also became targets of training. Since the stairs healed status ailments upon climbing floors, poisoning wasn't a problem.

When they finally arrived on the ninth floor, the training finally paid off. Carlos was now Level 16, learning Thunder Wave and Quick Attack while losing Tail Whip. Sandra was at Level 15, learning Growl and giving up Tail Whip. Lucar had become Level 14, learning his precious Force Palm at long last. Joy was at Level 15 now. The team was ready to go now.

"Okay, let's find Dodrio and rescue him. After that, we'll save Azurill." Carlos said.

"Right!" Joy, Sandra, and Lucar cried.

As they began to scour the floor, they came across a Geodude. No longer frightened of them, the team readied to fight. Lucar struck first, unleashing a Force Palm directly in its face. As it struggled to get up, Carlos hit it with Quick Attack. Sandra's Tackle ended the battle, marking their first victory against a Rock-type Pokemon.

Traversing the rest of the floor, Lucar pointed out a room with an odd aura in it. Entering the room, they found Dodrio waiting for them. "There you guys are! About time! Get me out of here!" he demanded.

"Mission 1 complete!" Sandra said, holding out her badge.

Dodrio was engulfed in brilliant white light and vanished, being teleported back to Wigglytuff's Guild. Once he was gone, Team Legend backtracked until they reached the stairs.

"Can that really be called Mission 1? It wasn't official." Joy asked.

"Well, we have two missions to complete now. Official or not, Azurill's in trouble and we have to save him." Carlos said.

"Well, here we go. Ready or not, here we come!" Lucar cried.

Joy and Lucar vanished up the stairs leading to Mt. Bristle's peak. Just as Carlos started climbing, he noticed Sandra wasn't following him. "What's wrong, Sandra?"

"I didn't help at all when you guys fought Yanmega. I was too scared." The Eevee took a deep breath and continued. "I'm a coward, but everyone expects me to be as successful as my big sister. I don't think I can do it, Carlos."

"Sandra…" Carlos hopped down the steps and stopped in front of her. "Who cares if you're a coward? You can get braver and change that. You're not your sister. You're Sandra. That won't ever change."

_/Change…that's something I've learned to live with. Change can be good or bad. As you get older, you change whether you like it or not. I think, of all Pokemon, my teammate Eon would understand that the most. She and I have been through similar situations in our lives. You'll learn why that is when Eon appears later./_

Sandra felt the tears coming. "What if I get too scared to fight Drowzee, like with Yanmega?"

"I'll be right here to help you, Sandra. You can do it. I know you can." Carlos reassured. "And even if you can't, we can always try again. Nobody's perfect. That's just a fact of life."

Sandra sniffed and nodded. "Thanks, Carlos." Wiping away her tears, she smiled. "Let's go save Azurill! Together!"

"Yeah," Carlos said. "Let's do it!"

Courage renewed, Sandra and Carlos raced up the steps to the peak. Jumping out onto the tenth floor, they saw Joy and Lucar waiting patiently for them. Team Legend set off, searching for Azurill. Then they all heard it.

"H-h-help!"

"Azurill! We're coming!" Carlos cried, racing toward the sound of his voice.

They arrived just in time to see Drowzee lunge to grab Azurill. Joy shot forward like a rocket, grabbing Azurill and leaping away. Once she landed, she glared at Drowzee and Hugged the terrified Azurill close. Drowzee quickly turned to see Team Legend in front of him, ready to fight.

"How did you kids get in here?" he demanded.

"Marill told us. We're here to save Azurill from you, Drowzee." Sandra said.

"We're Team Legend, an exploration Team!" Carlos cried.

"An Exploration Team? I've seen many in my day but you look like a pack of rookies to me." Drowzee said. "I'll be sure to put you kids in your place!"

"Joy, keep Azurill safe! We'll deal with Drowzee!" Carlos ordered.

"Okay! Come on, Azurill!" The Raichu led Azurill away from the fighting, intent on protecting him just as she would her own son. _You get him, guys…_

Drowzee launched a punch at Lucar, only to have it blocked by the Riolu's Force Palm. Carlos moved in from behind, unleashing a Thundershock. Then he grabbed one of the seeds that he put in the Treasure Bag. Just before they reached the ninth floor, Joy had explained to him the effects of the different seeds he had found.

"Eat this! Go, Sleep Seed!"

Carlos tossed the seed directly at Drowzee, nailing him in the head. It exploded into a white smoke, sleeping gas, which engulfed Drowzee entirely. Just moments before the Pikachu began his victory dance, a beam of violet energy crashed into him and sent him flying. Carlos smashed into a wall and yelped.

"Idiot! Sleep Seeds don't work on Pokemon with the ability Insomnia, which is just what I have!" Drowzee laughed as the smoke cleared. "You really are rookies if you didn't do your research on me. Now to take you all down…"

Another Confusion hit Lucar, causing great damage to the Fighting-type. Lucar crumpled to the ground as Drowzee pounded him heavily. Sandra charged, flinging sand into Drowzee's face and tackling him. Drowzee smirked, paralyzing her with Disable. Before he could raise a hand against her, Carlos shocked him.

"Hey, come and get me!" Carlos cried.

Drowzee used Confusion, but Carlos dodged it. The Pikachu raced around him, electricity jumping from his cheeks. But instead of attacking, Carlos tossed another seed.

"Didn't I just tell you that Sleep Seeds don't work on me?" Drowzee barked. "If you think this'll buy you time, you're dead wrong!"

"Who said it was a Sleep Seed? Go…Blast Seed!" Carlos cried.

"Huh?" Drowzee suddenly realized what he was about to be hit with. "Oh snap…"

The seed exploded into flames, burning Drowzee's face, arms, and upper body. Coughing, he waved his arms to clear the smoke. Squinting, he spotted Carlos charging directly at him with Quick Attack. Only, something was strange about it…

_/This is where another of Carlos' weird abilities comes into play. I don't know how he did it the first time, but now know what it is for. It's the ultimate attack of a Pikachu. But it supposedly vanished within the Pikachu lineage when the humans died. Why Carlos knows it, I still don't know. But he wouldn't be the first Pikachu I'd know to be capable of using this particular move./_

As Carlos ran toward Drowzee on all fours, he felt a strange energy pour through his veins. Electricity shot from his cheeks and engulfed his whole body in electricity. His speed increased dramatically and Carlos jumped, ready to strike Drowzee. _I won't let him get away with what he did to Azurill!_ Carlos thought.

Drowzee finally cleared the last of the smoke and looked up in fear. "Hey, w-wait!" he cried, suddenly very afraid.

Carlos crashed into the Psychic-type with all the strength he could muster and more. The electricity shocked Drowzee, causing him to cry out as the attack drained the last of his energy. The built-up electricity exploded, throwing Drowzee backward.

"VOLT TACKLE!!!" Carlos shouted.

As the smoke from the explosion clear, Joy and Azurill stared in shock as the electricity was absorbed back into Carlos' body. The Pikachu, exhausted, stumbled before he crashed face-first on the ground. Sandra and Lucar ran toward him, concerned. As Azurill left her arms, Joy suddenly realized what had happened.

"He used Volt Tackle. But…how?" she whispered.


	9. Chapter 8: The Message

Chapter 8: The Message

Everything that occurred after Drowzee's defeat was a blur to Carlos. Sheriff Magnezone arrested the nearly-unconscious Drowzee, Marill and Azurill thanked Team Legend, and Chatot rewarded them for capturing Drowzee. Their rewards, including the reward for rescuing Dodrio, were 500 poke and a Power Band.

Now the four members of Team Legend were back in their rooms, ready to go to bed. But nobody was very tired. The, quite literally, shocking defeat of Drowzee was fresh in everyone's minds. Especially how he was defeated…

"Carlos? How did you…" Sandra started.

"I don't know." The Pikachu looked out the window at the full moon. "It just…happened. I can't explain it. I don't even know what I did."

"Volt Tackle," Joy said softly.

"Is that what that move was?" Lucar asked. "Joy, tell us."

The Raichu sat up. "Volt Tackle is the most powerful Electric-type move in existence, unless you count the legendary Megavolt. It can only be learned by those in the Pikachu evolutionary line with the assistance of the rare Light Ball. But it mysteriously vanished when the humans died out centuries ago."

"Then how do I know it?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know," Joy replied. "It might have something to do with those visions…and your lost memory."

"Oh…" Carlos hung his head. _I wonder why I lost my memory in the first place. This is so frustrating! Maybe if I had it, I wouldn't be having all of these problems._

"Well…at least we saved Azurill." Sandra finally said. _And once again, I didn't do a thing to help. I'm so useless…_

"Yeah. That's a good thing." Lucar nodded. "…Maybe we should get some sleep, guys. We still have missions to do tomorrow."

One by one, Team Legend fell asleep until only Sandra remained awake. The Eevee peered up at the full moon in worry. _Big sis…where are you?_

_Treeshroud Forest…_

Team Yami-Hikari arrived in the clearing at the end of Treeshroud Forest. Halfway through the mystery dungeon, it began to storm heavily. But Corona led her team onward, refusing to give up until they found the source of why evolution suddenly stopped occurring. In front of them was one of the many Time Gears scattered throughout the world.

"Well…nothing seems wrong with it. Maybe you were wrong, Corona." Blake suggested. "The Time Gear isn't tampered with or anything."

"Maybe it's something else, Corona." Helio said. "We should go back. Guildmaster Wigglytuff will be worried about us if we're gone for too long."

"…Fine," the Delcatty muttered. "Maybe I was wrong. But this just like the kind of disaster a Time Gear could cause."

"We could ask others to check the other Time Gears." Lune said. "Don't worry. We'll find out what caused this."

"Great," a voice growled. "I didn't expect anyone to be here, especially during a storm. Perfect…"

"Who's there?" Corona hissed.

The Silver-ranked Exploration Team quickly scanned the trees, trying to find the owner of the voice. Suddenly, a Grovyle stepped out of the trees. He sighed and dug around in the bag he was wearing. "I apologize for this, but I have no other choice."

"It's him! He's one of the Big Five!" Blake barked. The flames at his wrists grew instantly as his rage built. "What do you want here, outlaw?!"

"Just the Time Gear," Grovyle replied, pulling an orb out of his bag.

"Why?" Helio asked. "What good are the Time Gears to you? Don't you know what happens if you remove a Time Gear from its rightful place?"

"Yes," Grovyle replied. "But I have a job to do. And if you try to get in my way, I'll have no other choice but to hurt you. I'll give you one chance. Move!"

"Not on your life!" Lune growled. "Corona, let's get him!"

"Everybody, attack!" Corona cried.

"You give me no other choice." Grovyle muttered.

Grovyle suddenly tossed the orb on the ground, causing it to activate. It exploded into a huge flash of white light, temporarily blinding Team Yami-Hikari. When the light finally cleared, Grovyle was gone.

"Where did he go?" Blake asked.

"Give me a second!" Helio pulled on his Goggle Specs and search the ground. Suddenly, he spotted a hole appearing beneath the ground under Blake's feet. "Blake, move it!"

The Blaziken obeyed, jumping backward as the hole opened up where he once stood. Suddenly, Grovyle burst out of the hole and landed behind Blake, the leaves on his forearms glowing. After a few seconds, Blake cried out as blood gushed from the long gash stretched from right hip to his left shoulder.

"He's so fast…" Helio whispered.

"Blake!" Lune cried. Turning her attention on Grovyle, she charged up a Shadow Ball. "Take this!"

Grovyle quickly countered with an Energy Ball, using the smoke as cover to unleash another Leaf Blade. As the Umbreon crashed to the ground, Grovyle felt the temperature drop dramatically. Turning, he saw Corona readying her Blizzard. Suddenly, snow was all around him.

"Blake, now!" Corona cried. "While my Blizzard's still in effect!"

"Got it!" the Blaziken called.

Grovyle looked around wildly. With all the snow, he couldn't tell where his opponents were. Suddenly, he saw a silhouette in front of him. The cold slowed his reflexes, exposing the Grass-type to Blake's strongest attack.

"Take this! Blaze Kick!" Blake shouted.

Blake's kick connected, throwing Grovyle backward and crashing him into a thick tree. The snow vanished, revealing the location of his three opponents. _Wait! Three? Weren't there four? Where's the Delcatty?!_ Grovyle's eyes darted around, trying to find her.

"Iron…"

His head shot up instantly and spotted the Delcatty on the branch above him. Leaping down, Corona's tail became a blinding silver light. Grovyle knew what was coming.

"…Tail!" Corona cried.

Grovyle quickly dodged, escaping the attack. Corona's tail smashed against the trunk of the tree, causing debris from the ground to shoot upward. When the dust cleared, Corona watched silently as the tree she struck fell to the ground. A single Iron Tail had snapped a thick tree in half.

Grovyle gulped. _Good thing I dodged. Me being cut in two wouldn't be a pretty sight, now would it?_

"Impressed?" Corona asked. "There's more, outlaw. You're better off giving up now."

"I'm no normal outlaw. If you knew what I was really doing, you'd be thanking me." Grovyle replied.

"Thanking you? For stealing a Time Gear? Not in this lifetime!" Helio cried.

"Pokemon like you wouldn't understand." Grovyle replied. "It's time to end this before I'm delayed. I'm sure _he_ found a way to get here, too. I don't have time to waste fighting you four. This'll end it."

"Hit him with all you've got, guys!" Corona ordered.

"Fire Spin!" Blake cried.

"Shadow Ball!" Lune shouted.

"Thunder!" Helio growled.

"Blizzard!" Corona yelled.

Grovyle frowned. "I'm truly sorry for this." He tossed down another Luminous Orb and attacked with all his might.

The moment the Luminous Orb's effect ended, Team Yami-Hikari was defeated. Helio, Lune, and Blake collapsed on the ground, knocked out by Grovyle's powerful attacks. Corona was barely standing, blood stream from a gash above her left eye. Grovyle sighed and stepped toward her.

"I'm surprised you're still standing. Your teammates fell easily to my attacks, yet you are still standing. You remind me a lot of _her_." Grovyle noted. "She never went down to my attacks, no matter how hard I struck her. You're almost like her, except you're a Pokemon and she…"

"What do you…want with the…Time Gear?" Corona was struggling to stay upright, refusing to fall.

"If I don't have the Time Gears, the future is doomed. Time will stop and paralysis will spread across the world. Darkness will rule." Grovyle explained.

"Time…will stop?" Corona repeated. "Why?"

"I don't know. I just have to stop it." Grovyle said.

"Won't stealing the…Time Gears…speed that up?"

"Temporarily," Grovyle replied. "Putting them in a…certain location will put time back to normal again."

"Why don't you…tell somebody? We could…help." Corona reasoned. "Why do it…alone?"

"I'm not alone. My partner is here. I just…don't know where he is." Grovyle said. "Besides, who would believe an 'outlaw'? Now, if you don't mind, I have a job to do."

"What about…us?" Corona coughed. Standing up was becoming a pain now. Great Arceus, she just wanted to be able to fall to the ground and go to sleep.

"I can't let _him_ find you here. He'll eliminate you if he realizes I told you all of this." Grovyle said. "…Yes, maybe that will work. I just hope she is still as friendly here as she is in the future."

The rest of Grovyle's rambling became a blur as Corona finally fell to the ground. Grovyle didn't seem to be paying attention, calling for somebody. _Who's he calling? Serebi? Selabu? God, my hearing's getting worse now!_

Just before the Delcatty blacked out, she saw a small pink light appear beside Grovyle. Stretched out a paw, she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a short message on the back. Shoving it under a bush where another Exploration Team would find it, she closed her eyes at long last. Her final thoughts before she fell unconscious concerned the only person related to a member of her team that would miss them.

_I'm so sorry, Sandra, Please forgive us…_

Grovyle sighed in relief as the Exploration Team was teleported away by his friend. Reaching out, he grabbed the Time Gear and fled as time slowed to a halt around Treeshroud Forest. He had what he'd come for. Now he had to find the other Time Gears…before it was too late.

_Wigglytuff's Guild…_

Team Legend was awoken, as always, by Loudred. As they trudged into the main room and recited the cheers, Lucar noticed something was off. "Something's wrong," he said.

"What is?" Sandra asked.

Before the Riolu could answer, Chatot called for an announcement. "Last night, Sheriff Magnezone and his unit were doing their nightly patrol. Deputy Magnemite, being assigned to Treeshroud Forest, returned with shocking news. The Time Gear located there…has been stolen!"

"A Time Gear? Oh my gosh!" Sunflora yelped. "Who would steal one?"

"Someone REALLY stupid!" Loudred yelled.

"That's not all!" Chatot continued. "Time in Treeshroud Forest has come to a halt. No winds blow, dewdrops hang suspended on leaves, and nothing moves. We, unfortunately, do not know the culprit of this horrid crime."

"Time has stopped? That's really bad, yup yup!" Bidoof whimpered.

"Something else is wrong," Lucar muttered. "Something involving you, Sandra."

"Me?" the Eevee said. "What is it?"

"I don't know, but it's bad." Lucar replied.

"I have yet another piece of important, as well as saddening, news." Chatot said. "Deputy Magnemite discovered a message under a bush near the location of the Time Gear. After a bit of investigating, it was revealed to be Corona of Team Yami-Hikari's handwriting. Team Yami-Hikari, after a thorough search of Treeshroud Forest…has gone missing."

"What?!" Sandra cried. _Big sis…gone? No! It can't be true!_

"The message has remained unopened and shall be given to the closest Pokemon to Team Yami-Hikari…" Chatot took a deep breath. "Sandra, please come up here. This message rightfully belongs to you."

The Eevee slowly stepped up to the front and took the message. Returning to her team, the other recruits dispersed to continue on with their day. Chatot hopped up to Team Legend to give them their mission.

"What's our mission for today?" Carlos asked, his usual enthusiasm gone.

_/It was a pretty sad day that day. My sister and her team had apparently vanished off the face of the earth. I wouldn't be seeing them again for a very long time. And things were only going to get worse from that day on./_

"Your mission is to locate a lost Houndoom at Beach Cave. The reward is unmarked, though. If you wish to remain home for today, you're welcome to." Chatot said.

Carlos looked at Sandra. _She looks so sad. Maybe we should…_ That's when he remembered something. "No thanks, Chatot."

"Huh?" Sandra looked up.

"What about the cheers? 'Don't shirk work' is one of them." Carlos reminded. "Sandra, you want this team to be great, right? Even if today is a sad day, we have to keep up our work. That's an Exploration team's job."

Sandra slowly smiled. "Right! Sorry, Chatot, but we'll take the mission."

Lucar could sense the Eevee's sadness fading and being replaced by happiness. The Riolu smiled. _Carlos always seems to make Sandra happy. That's good._

"Hey, Sandra? What does the message say?" Joy asked once Chatot left.

"Oh! Right!" Sandra opened the piece of paper. "It says… 'Time is ending'?"

"Huh? Time…is ending?" Carlos repeated. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Sandra shrugged.

"Whatever it means, we should keep that message safe." Joy suggested.

"Right!" Carlos dropped the folded piece of paper into the Treasure Bag. "Let's head out, team! We have work to do."

"Yeah!" Lucar, Joy, and Sandra cried.

As Team Legend left Wigglytuff's Guild, Sandra looked up at the shining sun overhead. _Big sis, please be okay. Please…_ Wiping away her tears, she ran down toward the beach to begin her next mission. Unaware to her, a blue bat and a purple gas-ball were following after her.

Once Team Legend reached the crossroads, they met up with a crying Plusle. She looked up upon seeing them. "Are you Team Legend? I'm searching for my partner, Houndoom. Please! My friend must be found!"

"Don't worry, Plusle. We'll find Houndoom for you." Carlos said.

"Thank you!" Plusle cried.

After Team Legend headed down to the beach, Zubat and Koffing pushed past Plusle to pursue them. Once they got to the beach, the pair saw what they were after.

As Team Legend stood in front of Beach Cave's entrance, Sandra pulled out her Relic Fragment. "Guys, do you think we could figure out what this is one day?" she asked.

"Maybe," Lucar said. "We can surely try, Sandra."

"I wonder if this is the key to some secret treasure or something." The Eevee smiled. "My personal treasure might end up leading us to treasure! What do you think about that, guys?"

_/The Relic Fragment was indeed a key, but not to treasure. It was the key to something far more important. I didn't just come across this by chance, as you all may have thought. I was chosen to find it./_

While Sandra happily looked at her Relic Fragment, Lucar sensed two auras sneaking up behind her. "Sandra, watch out!" he cried.

"Huh? WHAAAA!!" Sandra was roughly shoved, crashing straight into Carlos. When she recovered, she glared at the perpetrators. "What was that for?"

"Oops! Did we do that? Terribly sorry!" the Zubat said.

"Does this happen to belong to you?" Koffing asked.

Sandra suddenly realized what she was missing. "My Relic Fragment!" she yelped.

"We'll be taking that!" Zubat snatched the piece of rock.

"Give that back, you stupid bat!" Carlos unleashed a Thundershock, which was easily dodged by Zubat.

"Hey now, why don't we settle this elsewhere? Or are you too afraid to, Sandra?" Koffing teased. "Your big sister wouldn't be scared. Then again, she's gone now."

"See you later, suckers!" Zubat and Koffing fled into Beach Cave, taking Sandra's treasured Relic Fragment with them.

"Those bullies! I hate people like them!" Joy fumed, sparks shooting from her cheeks.

"We have to get Sandra's Relic fragment back, Carlos. Let's get them!" Lucar said.

"Yeah! Let's go, guys!" Carlos cried.

Sandra nodded, following her team into the mystery dungeon. _Zubat…Koffing…you're not going to get away with stealing my Relic Fragment!_

As they raced into the cave, they never noticed the black Pikachu from earlier perched on a nearby rock. His red eyes were particularly focused on the Raichu. _Before, there were three. Now, that Raichu's joined them. Why her?_ Turning, he bounded off the rock and down the beach to give the news to his boss.


	10. Chapter 9: Saving the Relic Fragment

Chapter 9: Saving the Relic Fragment

Team Legend entered Beach Cave in search of Sandra's Relic Fragment. Quickly, the four scoured the first floor for any sign of Zubat and Koffing. Carlos took out most of the enemy Pokemon they encountered but Sandra did her best to knock a few out, too. Suddenly, Joy noticed something.

"Remember what Chatot said about the mission he gave us?" the Raichu said. "He didn't tell us which floor Houndoom was on. He also told us the reward was unmarked. Isn't that strange?"

"Sandra, do you know anything about missions with unspecified floors or unmarked rewards?" Lucar asked.

"Well…a little," the Eevee replied. "Big sis once told me that missions without a location are very hard because you have to search every floor for your client. Missions with unmarked rewards are actually a pretty good thing. You can either get really rare items, a Pokemon egg, or your client will join your team."

"A Pokemon…egg?" Carlos repeated.

"Oh, yes! Baby Pokemon are born from eggs, Carlos. Even if you lost your memory, that much should be obvious." Joy explained.

_Maybe it would be obvious if I was a Pokemon my whole life,_ Carlos thought. _But since I wasn't, of course I wouldn't know that. That's right…I still have to tell Joy I was once human._

"There's the stairs!" Sandra cried.

Team Legend went up the stairs, arriving on the second floor. A quick Thundershock eliminated the lone Shellos in the room, allowing Carlos to pick up the Blast Seed placed on the other side of the room. They moved on, making steady progress toward the Beach Cave Pit.

_/I can guess what you're thinking. 'Man, what a boring mission. Why not just zoom straight to the main action?' Patience is key here. Even boring things like this have action hidden within it…/_

After searching the whole floor for Houndoom, they found the stairs and climbed them to search the third floor. But the moment Sandra set foot on the ground, it moved beneath her. Yelping, she stared in horror as a Kabuto rose up from under her feet. She was standing on its back!

"Help!" the Eevee cried.

"Don't worry! I'm com—"

"Watch out!"

Joy crashed into Carlos just as a second Kabuto reared up from the ground where he had once stood. Lucar jumped and hauled Sandra off of the Kabuto, avoiding a swipe from its claw-like legs.

"I'll take care of these two!" Joy growled. "Carlos, go search for Houndoom!"

"Are you sure?" Carlos asked.

"Yes! Now go!" Joy shouted.

"Guys, let's go!" Carlos ordered.

Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra ran down a nearby tunnel, leaving Joy to fight the pair of Kabuto herself. Lucar suddenly sensed an odd aura and led Team Legend to it, revealing it to be Houndoom. The devil dog was overjoyed to have rescuers find him.

"Mission 1 complete!" Sandra said, holding out her badge. Houndoom vanished in a flash of light. "Now to find the stairs and get my Relic Fragment back."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

As they searched for the stairs, Lucar knocked a Corsola out on his own. Carlos easily electrocuted two oncoming Shellder while Sandra tackled a Shellos to defeat. Once they found the stairs, they climbed up o the fourth floor of Beach Cave. Joy was waiting for them there.

"Joy, are you okay?" Sandra asked.

"It was a piece of cake. Don't worry about me, Sandra. Let's find those bullies and get your Relic fragment back!" the Raichu said.

_/For the longest time, Joy was like a mother to us. She guarded us, cared for us, supported us, and swore revenge upon those who hurt us. But, like any mother, she could become a bit overprotective and baby us a bit. That would change in the future once she met up with David again…even if it did hurt her to do so./_

Once they left the room, Carlos picked up a Sleep Seed and the team tiptoed around a sleeping Shellos. As they continued their search, they fought off a pair of angry Shellder and a Kabuto. The moment they finally found the stairs, Sandra knocked out the lone Corsola that attacked them.

"Here we go, guys!" Carlos said, running up the stairs.

As Team Legend arrived on the fifth and final floor, they were shocked to see that this room had a view of the sea at the far back. And huddled in front of that view, muttering to each other…were Zubat and Koffing.

Sparks jumped from Joy's cheeks. "Hey! Turn around, you bullies! We're here to take back Sandra's Relic Fragment!"

"Huh?" The pair turned around and smirked. "Awww! What's the matter? The little chicken can't fight for herself?" Zubat teased

"Whoa-ho-ho! Should've guessed as much, Zubat." Koffing laughed. "Her famous big sister usually fights her battles for her. Now that she's not here, her friends have to do it for her."

"Heh-heh-heh! I guess you're right, Koffing. She really is a chicken!" Zubat chuckled.

"You…" Joy growled.

"Joy, wait." Lucar said. "I know why you're mad. But this is Sandra's battle. I think we should let her fight."

"Huh? Me?" Sandra yelped. "No, it's okay! Joy can beat them!"

"But it's _your_ Relic Fragment they stole!" Carlos argued. "I'll fight with you if it makes you feel better, Sandra. We'll fight together."

Sandra blushed. "…Okay…"

"Huh? So the little chicken's really going to fight us. This'll be a laugh!" Zubat said. "Let's get them, Koffing!"

"Yeah!" Koffing nodded.

Joy and Lucar retreated to the far side of the cavern. "Lucar, are you sure?" Joy asked. "Sandra might not be able to beat them."

"She's not alone, Joy. She has Carlos with her." Lucar reminded. "I don't know why, but Sandra seems to gain courage from being near Carlos. Something about him makes her want to get stronger and braver. I know you just want to help but she isn't David, Joy."

Joy gasped. "…You're right," she admitted. "I've been relating you three to my little boy because you're around his age. I don't want to lose anyone again."

"You won't lose us, Joy. And we won't lose you either. I promise," the Riolu said.

"…Thank you, Lucar." Joy turned to watch the battle. _These children aren't defenseless like my little David. They know how to fight. They may be children…but they don't need a mother. They need a teammate…_

"Let's do this, Sandra!" Carlos cried.

"Yeah!" the Eevee nodded. _I'm not going to chicken out this time. Not like with Yanmega. This time…I'm going to fight!_

Koffing went first, diving in for a Tackle. Sandra dodged him and threw sand in his face, causing him to yelp in surprise. Carlos unleashed a Thundershock, hitting Koffing hard. Suddenly, the Pikachu cried out as Zubat bit him with Leech Life, draining a bit of his health.

"Carlos!" Sandra cried.

"Take this! Poison Gas!"

Sandra yelped, coughing as she was surrounded by a cloud of purple gas. Her vision was a bit fuzzy and she knew she was poisoned. Suddenly, Zubat collided with her from behind. Carlos unleashed a Thundershock, electrocuting the bat in revenge. Koffing then crashed into the Pikachu, knocking him down.

"Heh-heh-heh! You really think we're so easy to take down? Think again!" Zubat laughed.

"Hey, Zubat! Let's get rid of the mousy first!" Koffing suggested.

"Sure! The poison will knock the chicken out soon enough, anyway." Zubat said.

Koffing unleashed a thick cloud of black smoke upon Carlos, allowing him and Zubat to attack him without warning. The Pikachu coughed and looked around, squinting to try and find them. Suddenly, Koffing hit him hard from behind with Assurance. Carlos growled and struggled to his feet.

"This is cheating!" Carlos cried. "Two on one isn't fair!"

"So?" Zubat said from somewhere to his right. "It's your fault for fighting alongside the chicken."

Carlos shot a Thundershock toward the voice, only to hear Zubat cackling from behind him. A set of fangs sank into his arm, causing Carlos to cry out. Koffing hit Carlos' chest with Tackle, throwing him backward. A loud screech suddenly confused the Pikachu, causing him to look around wildly for his attackers.

"Car…los…" Sandra coughed, struggling to her feet as the poison cloud cleared. She felt sick but ignored it. Carlos needed her! "I'm…coming!"

She dashed into the Smokescreen and felt around until she found Carlos. Searching in the bag, she grabbed a seed and waited until the pair struck. A Zubat shot forward to unleash another Leech Life, Sandra tossed the seed…and put him to sleep! Grabbing to unconscious bat, she threw him in the direction she heard Koffing coming from…and scored a direct hit!

As the black cloud cleared, Koffing shoved Zubat off of him and glared at Sandra. "You cheated, chicken!" he accused.

"I didn't cheat. I just used my big ears to find you." Sandra twitched her ears to show off their size. "They're not this big for nothing, you know."

Before Koffing could say another word, a Thundershock hit him and knocked him out. Sandra turned and laughed at the shocked look on Carlos' face. The Pikachu stumbled over and grabbed her shoulder, trying to remain upright.

"I was aiming for Zubat," he admitted.

"At least you knocked one of them out." Sandra said, smiling. "Now we just have Zubat to deal with."

"Ugh…what hit me?" Zubat slowly sat up and groaned. Then he noticed Koffing unconscious next to him. "Hey, Koffing! What's wrong with you? Wake up!"

Carlos smirked at Sandra. "Do you want the honors?"

"It would be my pleasure." Sandra approached Zubat. "Ready to give back my Relic Fragment?"

"Uh…" Zubat was trembling in fear.

Sandra tackled him, knocking the bat out instantly. The Relic Fragment flew out of his wing and Sandra pounced, catching it. Landing on the ground, she smiled triumphantly and hugged her Relic Fragment to her chest.

"We did it, Carlos! We got my Relic Fragment back!" the Eevee cried.

"No," Lucar shook his head. "_You_ got your Relic Fragment back, Sandra."

The Eevee smiled and nodded. "Yeah…I guess I did!"

"I knew you could do it, Sandra." Carlos said. "That was really good."

"Thanks!" Sandra cried, blushing. "I couldn't have done it without you, though."

"Hey, what do we do about them?" Joy asked, glaring at Zubat and Koffing.

"Nothing. They should be waking up any minute now." Lucar replied. "We should head back to the guild now, guys. It's been a long day."

"Yeah," Sandra pulled out her badge. "Mission 2 completed!"

In a flash of light, the badge teleported them back to Wigglytuff's Guild. Once they managed to untangle themselves, they were greeted by a cheerful Plusle. Houndoom was by her side, grinning.

"Thank you so much for rescuing my friend! I don't know what I would've done without you guys!" Plusle cried.

"I could've gotten out on my own…eventually." Houndoom grumbled.

"No you wouldn't! Water puts out fire!" Plusle argued.

"I was fine, honest! But…thanks anyway, Team Legend." Houndoom said.

"So…what's the reward? It was unmarked." Carlos asked.

"Oh, that! I want you guys to have this!" Plusle said. "Take good care of it, okay?"

Plusle held out a tan and blue egg. Joy instantly squealed and picked it up, treating it with care. Carlos looked up at it in shock. "…An egg?"

"Yeah," Plusle nodded. "I found it all alone in the woods and I don't know how to take care of eggs. But it looks like your Raichu friend knows how, so…will you guys take that as your reward?"

"Sure!" Sandra nodded. "We're just glad you and your friend are reunited!"

"Thanks!" Plusle cried. "Let's go, Houndoom!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Houndoom and Plusle climbed up the ladder and left the Guild.

Chatot hopped up to them, only to gape at the egg Joy was holding. "I'm surprised! An egg…this early in your careers? My, you youngsters are sure lucky! Chansey has a Daycare in Treasure Town where you can drop the egg off to hatch."

"No," Joy quickly said. "I…I'll take care of it. If that's okay,"

Carlos knew what was going on. _She misses having a kid of her own,_ he thought. "Sure, Joy. We'll all help."

"Thanks," the Raichu said, rubbing the egg gently.

"Now then, how about some dinner? You must be starving!" Chatot said.

"You bet!" Carlos nodded.

Suddenly, four stomachs started growling. Team Legend looked at each other and blushed, only to burst out laughing a moment later. Shaking his head, Chatot herded them downstairs to eat dinner.

After dinner, Team Legend went to their room to sleep. But none of them were tired. Instead, they chose to chat with each other until they fell asleep.

"Thanks again, guys." Joy said, holding the egg close to keep it warm. "I guess being a mother stays with you…even when you're not one anymore."

"It's okay, Joy. It's just instinct. We all have it." Lucar reassured.

"What do you think it is?" Sandra asked. "The egg, I mean. It's tan with a blue line across the front of it."

"The design on the egg usually gives it away." Lucar said. "Tan and blue…any ideas, Carlos?"

"Hmmm…what's tan and blue?" the Pikachu muttered. "Tan with a blue horizontal line on the front. Hmmm…" Then Carlos shrugged. "I don't know,"

"What do you think, Joy?" Sandra asked.

"Well…I'm not a good guesser, honest. But, if I had to choose, I'd say…" Joy tapped her chin before deciding. "A Phanpy. They're blue."

"But it has more tan on it than blue. I think it's something else." Carlos pointed out. "Lucar, couldn't you check its aura and find out."

"Hey, I don't want to hurt the baby!" the Riolu barked. "Besides, the aura of eggs won't show me what Pokemon it is. Only when it's about to hatch will I know."

"Oh," Carlos said. "Okay…"

"Hey, what are we going to do about the egg during missions? We can't take it with us and we can't leave it here all alone. I could hatch without us!" Sandra cried.

"I could stay here with the egg while you guys go on missions." Joy volunteered. "Sure, I'll end up being lower level than you guys but I'll catch up. And once the baby has hatched and is old enough, maybe it could go on missions with us."

"That sounds like a great idea, Joy!" Sandra cried.

"Okay, it's settled." Carlos said. "Joy will stay here at the Guild and care for the egg while the rest of us do our missions. Does that sound good to you, guys?"

"Yeah!!" Lucar and Sandra cried.

"I'll take good care of the baby for you guys." Joy promised.

"We know you will, Joy." Lucar said.

Sandra yawned and curled up in bed, suddenly tired. "Good night, guys."

"Night!" Carlos and Lucar yawned.

"Good night, everyone," Joy muttered, closing her eyes.

As sleep claimed Team Legend, a ghostly figure floated outside of their window. He smiled the best he could through his zipper-like mouth.

_/The next week of our lives would really be stressful, particularly involving the baby. I wouldn't say babies are too hard to care for, but they definitely aren't easy. I'm glad we had Joy with us. Without her, the next week would be a terror to handle. But even with her, it was hard. How, you ask? Well…I'll let you find out./_

Only moments after everyone fell asleep, Carlos opened his eyes and groaned. "Crud…I forgot to tell Joy that I'm actually human. I guess I'll have to do it tomorrow. Stupid memory…" Closing his eyes, he fell back asleep.

Outside the window, the ghostly figure froze with his back to the window. _Did I just hear what I think I heard? One of these brats is human!_ Turning, he scanned the four to try and figure out who spoke. _Darn! Too late! Oh well…I guess I'll find out tomorrow._ Turning once more, he flew away into the night.


	11. Chapter 10: Kidnapping Sandra

Chapter 10: Kidnapping Sandra

The next morning, Loudred's bellow snapped Team Legend awake and made them leave their cozy room to do their cheers. Once that was done, Joy turned and walked back into their room…only to be stopped by Carlos grabbing her tail.

"What is it, Carlos?" she asked.

"I have to tell you something tonight. Don't forget to remind me, okay?" Carlos said.

"Sure," the Raichu nodded. "I'll remember! Do well on today's mission, guys!"

Carlos nodded and let go of Joy's tail, watching as she hopped back to their room to take care of the egg. Turning, he and his friends faced Chatot as he approached them. "What's today's mission?" Carlos asked.

"I see Joy isn't with you. Taking care of the egg, I assume." Chatot noted. "Anyway, your mission today is to escort a Nidorina to the fifth floor of Drenched Bluff to meet her lover, Nidorino. This mission is 20 points, which will put you at 95 points total."

"Right! Let's do this, guys!" Carlos cried.

Team Legend left the Guild and headed to Treasure Town to prepare for their first escort mission. Once they were ready, the trio headed to the crossroads and met Nidorina. She was overjoyed to see them and thanked them for agreeing to complete her request. After she was through hugging them, they set off for Drenched Bluff.

While they wandered through the first floor of the mystery dungeon, Carlos decided to bring up the subject of telling Joy about his true identity to Sandra. "Do you think it's a good idea to tell her? You know, about the whole human thing."

"Why not? She's our teammate. If we didn't tell her, it'd be like we didn't trust her." Sandra reasoned. "If she really cares about us, she'll still treat us the same despite that fact. Don't you think so, Carlos?"

Unaware to the group, the ghostly figure from the previous night was silently following them. _Come on, come on! Which one of you is human? It can't be the Raichu, if what they're saying is true. Which is it?_

"But what if she doesn't treat us the same, Sandra?" Carlos asked. "What then?"

"Well…I don't know." Sandra muttered. "How would you react if I told you I was human, Carlos?"

The Ghost-type Pokemon froze and slowly smirked. _It's the Eevee! The Eevee is the human! I can't believe it! Now to lure her away from her friends…_ He phased through the wall behind him to set his plan in motion.

"Hey, there's the stairs!" Nidorina cried. "I'm one step closer to you, my love!"

The four Pokemon climbed up the stairs and were instantly forced to battle two Lileep. Sandra tackled them both and Nidorina tossed in a Scratch, knocking them out. As they continued along the second floor, Lucar used Force Palm to knock out an Anorith lurking in the water nearby and Carlos electrocuted a pair of Shellos. Upon finding the stairs, Nidorina scratched a Chingling that tried to jump Carlos from behind, knocking it out.

"Hey, even girls need to fight." Nidorina giggled.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

Reaching the third floor, Team Legend took out a Shellos and an Anorith immediately. Halfway through the floor, a Lileep managed to nearly knock Nidorina out and Lucar used up their last Sleep Seed in a last-ditch effort to escape. Once they got away, Sandra gave the Poison-type one of their Oran Berries to heal herself with.

The moment they set foot on the fourth floor, disaster struck. They ended up in a big room that had three Shellos, one Chingling, and two Lileep in it. As they battled their way through the enemy Pokemon, a Lileep shoved Sandra into the water. It wasn't until the fight was over that Team Legend noticed they were down one teammate.

"Sandra? Where is she?" Carlos asked.

"I can't sense her aura nearby. She must be at least on the other side of the mystery dungeon." Lucar said. "We should search for the stairs. We'll be reunited then."

"Okay!" the Pikachu nodded. _Sandra, please be okay! We'll be there soon!_

_On the other side of the fourth floor…_

Sandra coughed, the air racing out of her lungs as she sank in the water. Her body had locked up, preventing her from escaping her watery prison. She felt like screaming but held it in. _Now what? How did this happen? Am I going to die? Carlos isn't here to help me this time! Someone…help!_

A black hand suddenly plunged under the water and grabbed her paw, hauling her out of the water. The moment she touched the ground, the Eevee coughed out all of the water and gasped for air. She put as much distance between herself and the water as she could.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked.

"Y-Yeah," Sandra nodded, coughing. "Thanks for t-the help."

"No problem."

Sandra finally looked up to see a strange marionette-like Pokemon standing before her. A yellow zipper-like mouth was pulled into a smile as large red eyes watched her. It took her a second to recognize the species. It was a Banette.

"W-Why did you…help me?" Sandra asked.

_/As I'm sure you all know, Banette are the spirits that live within abandoned marionettes and haunt the ones who abandoned them. They live in dark, cold places where few dare to venture, even the bravest. You can understand why I was so confused to see one at Drenched Bluff, let alone why he was there in the first place./_

"Isn't it polite for a man to help a lady in need?" the Banette asked. "You needed help, so I helped you. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I need to find my friends. They're a Pikachu, a Riolu, and a Nidorina. Can you help me find them?" Sandra asked.

"Hmmm…I know the best way. They'll be up at the next floor soon, right? Why don't we wait for them there?" the Banette said.

"Huh?"

The Banette suddenly began floating up to the ceiling, bring Sandra with him. The Eevee instantly panicked, kicking outwards and yelping. Her cries were muffled when she and the Banette went through the ceiling…

_Near the stairway on the fourth floor…_

Carlos and Lucar panted for breath as they reached the stairway. "We looked…everywhere for her…" Carlos panted. "Where could…she be?"

"Let's just…go upstairs," Lucar suggested. "We'll find…her then…"

"Sure," the Pikachu nodded.

With Nidorina in the lead, the trio climbed the stairs and reached the fifth floor. Waiting for a moment, Carlos put on a smile for when Sandra appeared. After nearly five minutes passed, the smiled faded. Carlos began to get a bad feeling.

"Lucar, where's Sandra?" Carlos asked.

"She should be here." Lucar replied. "If she got defeated, we would've all been thrown out of the dungeon."

"Maybe she got lost." Nidorina suggested. "We'll find her soon. My love is waiting for me."

With a heavy heart, Lucar agreed. "We'll find her once our mission is complete, Carlos. Let's go."

"…Okay," the Pikachu muttered.

The trio wandered through the fifth floor in search of Nidorino, keeping a constant eye out for their wayward companion. But the Eevee was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Nidorina squealed with joy as her lover came into sight and ran into his arms. As the couple hugged and kissed, Carlos wandered away to search for Sandra.

"Mission 1 completed!" Lucar said, watching as the duo vanished in a flash of light. Turning, the Riolu ran after his leader. "I'm sure she's here somewhere, Carlos. Should we split up?"

"No," Carlos shook his head. "We stay together."

"Okay," Lucar nodded. _He's afraid I'll get lost, too,_ Lucar realized. _Oh, Sandra. Where are you?_

"Carlos! Lucar!" Sandra's voice cried.

"Sandra! We're coming!" Carlos shouted, taking off in the direction of her voice.

"Wait up!" Lucar was on his heels, using his aura to locate the Eevee. He found her, but he also found a dark aura with her. "There's somebody with her, Carlos!"

"Is it Thrax?" Carlos asked.

"No, it's too weak to be him! It's somebody else…but that doesn't mean they're not dangerous!" Lucar warned.

"If we need to fight, we'll fight!" Carlos said.

The duo entered a large room and spotted Sandra standing near the center of it, happy to see them. Standing beside her was a Banette, who was eyeing them suspiciously. Sandra bounded away from him and into Carlos' arms.

"Carlos! You're okay!" she cried.

"Are you okay? Sandra, I'm so sorry!" Carlos apologized. "I didn't even know you were missing until the fight was over!"

_Sandra?_ The Banette thought. _That's the name of Lune's little sister. Could it be…?_

Suddenly, Lucar sensed an Anorith attacking from behind. Turning, he prepared a Force Palm…only to have a ball of black energy beat him to it and knock the Anorith unconscious. Lucar turned and realized where the attack came from: the Banette!

"Shadow Ball is a great TM move, isn't it?" the Banette chuckled. "Little Eevee, would you happen to be the younger sister of Lune?"

"Yeah, that's me! Why?" Sandra asked.

_Bingo,_ the Banette thought. "Your sister sent me to fetch you."

"But…my sister went missing." Sandra muttered.

"She did? I happen to know where she is," the Banette said. "I'm an old friend of hers and she sent me to bring you to her. She has something very important to tell you."

"What is it?" Sandra asked.

"I don't know. I'm just the messenger. Will you come with me…or not?" the Banette questioned.

As Sandra stepped forward, Lucar held out a paw to stop her. "How do we know you're not lying?" he demanded. "Your aura doesn't seem very trustworthy to me."

"Oh, that's the thing about Ghost-type Pokemon's aura. It never seems trustworthy to your aura-sensors. Those Gastly and Misdreavus have left horrible stereotypes on all of us Ghost-type Pokemon. It isn't very fair to most of us," the Banette said.

"Well…" Lucar couldn't help but feel sorry for the Banette. "Okay,"

"You tell your sister 'hi' for us, okay?" Carlos asked.

"Don't worry, guys! I will!" Sandra promised. _I can't believe it! My big sis is okay! I'm going to see her again!_ "Okay, Mr. Banette. I'm ready."

"Good," the Banette said. "Hang on to me tight, okay? Wouldn't want you slipping and falling when we leave, right?"

"Yeah!" Sandra gripped his arm tightly.

"Here we go!" the Banette cried.

The Banette soon phased through the floor, bringing Sandra with him. He gave Lucar and Carlos one final smirk before he vanished. Taking out their badges, Lucar and Carlos teleported back to the Guild…without Sandra.

After they untangled themselves, Carlos and Lucar received a Pecha Scarf and 500 poke from their clients. Once Nidorina and Nidorino left, Chatot came up to them. Almost immediately, he noticed Sandra's absence.

"Where's Sandra?" Chatot asked.

"A Banette saying he was a friend of Lune's came and took her to where Lune's team was located. He said Lune has something very important to tell Sandra." Lucar replied.

"My, that's odd. I never knew that Lune had any Ghost-type friends." Chatot muttered. "Well, at least we know she's safe. So, Team Yami-Hikari is no longer missing? Where are they?"

"I don't know. That Banette never told us where he was taking Sandra." Carlos said.

"Oh…" Chatot sighed. "Well, dinner should be done soon. You two better check up on Joy. I haven't seen her all day."

"Right," Carlos nodded.

Carlos and Lucar headed downstairs and through the hall until they reached their room. Stepping inside, Carlos was relieved to see Joy humming softly as she held the egg. Hearing them enter, Joy opened her eyes and smiled at them.

"Hey, guys! You're back already? Where's Sandra?" Joy asked.

"A Banette that's friends with her older sister came and took her to Team Yami-Hikari's location." Carlos replied.

'You mean they're back?" the Raichu asked.

"I guess so," Carlos said, sitting in his bed. "I'm glad for Sandra. Her older sister is safe."

"Still…" Lucar sat down in his bed, too. "Something doesn't seem right about this. Chatot mentioned Lune not having any Ghost-type friends. And that Banette didn't seem to know that Team Yami-Hikari was missing. Isn't that odd?"

"Maybe you're thinking too deep into this, Lucar. That guy didn't seem too bad." Carlos said.

"Neither did Drowzee," the Riolu growled.

Carlos flinched. _Lucar's right. Drowzee didn't seem all that bad until I got those visions. Then we saw his true colors at Mt. Bristle. What if this is the same thing?_

Lucar suddenly stood up. "I'm going upstairs for a moment. I'll be back!" Turning, he ran down the hall and out of sight.

"My, you guys had a busy day today. I missed all the fun." Joy sighed.

"Um…Joy, I have something to tell you. How would you react if I told you I wasn't really a Pikachu?" Carlos asked nervously.

"Well, I'd say you're pulling my leg. You look like a normal Pikachu to me." Joy said.

"But what if I wasn't? What if I was turned into a Pikachu, but I was something else before?" Carlos questioned.

"…Carlos, now you're scaring me. What is it?" Joy demanded.

"I'm…I'm not really a Pikachu. I'm a—"

"Carlos! I was right!" Lucar shouted, bursting into the room. He shoved a piece of paper into the Pikachu's arms. "I was right, Carlos! That guy isn't Lune's friend! He's a criminal!"

"Huh?!" Carlos yelped.

Carlos looked at the piece of paper and gasped. The Banette's face was on it! Skipping past his bounty, Carlos read through the Ghost-type's previous crimes. Thievery, kidnapping, violent attacks… Carlos' heart stopped on the last one.

"Carlos, what's wrong?" Joy whimpered.

"This guy…he's wanted for murder!" Carlos cried.

"What?!" Lucar yelped. "I should've asked Bidoof what this guy's crimes were before I took off! Stupid, stupid me!"

"It's not your fault, Lucar!" Carlos said. "There's nothing we can do tonight. He's after Sandra for something or else he wouldn't have put on that show for us. We'll look for her tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll come, too!" Joy volunteered.

"No!" Carlos argued. "You have to take care of the egg, Joy. Lucar and I will handle this. We'll get Sandra back no matter what, I promise!"

"Carlos…" Joy felt tears sting her eyes. "…Okay. Just please be careful, you two."

"We will," Lucar promised.

"Let's get some sleep, guys. We have a long day tomorrow." Carlos muttered.

Team Legend got very little sleep that night. The silent threat of Sandra's possible death hung over them, making sleep nearly impossible. After a ton of tossing and turning hours later, they finally fell asleep. But nothing could prepare Carlos for the nightmares he had that night.

_/Keep that murder in mind, would you? It becomes very important soon. This Banette will end up helping us into understanding why criminals do things and that mistakes can truly tear lives apart. It's actually scary how many Pokemon we meet who have similar problems to this guy./_

_Near the bottom of Deep Spacial Rift…_

"Are we there yet, Mr. Banette?" Sandra asked. "I'm tired."

"Almost, but I guess we can rest here." The Banette sat down and sighed. _This place should be perfect. I just hope the boss gets here soon. But I wonder…how did a human end up in our world? I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask._ "Hey, how did you…?"

Sandra had already fallen asleep. Groaning, the Banette leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. _Never mind. I'll ask her tomorrow,_ he decided. Sighing, he slowly fell asleep despite the roars of wild Pokemon in the high-level mystery dungeon.


	12. Chapter 11: A Cave Behind the Waterfall

Chapter 11: The Cave Behind the Waterfall

Carlos looked around at the black void he was floating in. "Where am I?" he muttered.

"Carlos! Carlos!"

"Sandra!" Carlos cried, recognizing the voice.

The Pikachu dashed toward the sound, gray stone appearing under his paws. He was running through a stone tunnel, shouting for his friend as he ran. Suddenly, he burst into a large cavern. Sitting in the center of it…was Sandra.

"Sandra! There you are!" Carlos sighed in relief. "Are you okay? Let's get out of here!"

"…Why, Carlos? Why are you doing this?" Sandra asked.

"Huh? Doing what?"

Suddenly, color faded and everything came to a stop. A nearby waterfall on the far side of the cavern ceased to move, water droplets hanging suspended in midair. Everything became dark and cold. Carlos spotted a shadow standing near him, watching the Eevee warily.

"Why, Carlos? I thought we were friends." Sandra whispered. Her form suddenly stretched and changed into that of an Espeon with brilliant red fur. Her eyes narrowed at them. "Why? Tell me why, Carlos. Why?!"

"Why what?!" Carlos yelled.

"It's for the good of our world. The world is more important than even our own lives!" the figure beside him declared. "Darkness will never rule!"

"I thought you cared about me, Carlos. I guess I was wrong. Humans never change." Sandra growled. "All humans are filthy, stinking, no-good, back-stabbing liars!"

"STOP IT!!" Carlos screamed at the top of his lungs.

Carlos' eyes snapped open and he shot up in bed, screaming. Instantly, a pair of brown paws grabbed him and stroked his soaked fur. He clung to the comforting figure, crying. The nightmare was still fresh in his memory. Too fresh…

"What happened?" Lucar slowly sat up and rubbed his closed eyes. His aura vision showed Joy hugging Carlos, his aura emanating pure terror and confusion. "Carlos, are you okay?"

"Shhh… Everything's okay, Carlos. We're here." Joy whispered soothingly. "You're all right, Carlos. Everything's okay."

After a few minutes, Carlos finally recovered and looked up at her. "…Sorry, Joy."

"Was it a nightmare?" Joy asked.

Carlos nodded. "I was looking for Sandra in some dark tunnel. I think it was underground or something. Then everything got dark and…I think time stopped. There was someone beside me that argued with Sandra. Then Sandra became a red Espeon and called me a liar. She said I didn't care about her. Then I woke up."

"That's one bad nightmare." Lucar said. "Did it have anything to do with you being…you-know-what?"

"What?" Joy asked. "What's a 'you-know-what'?"

"Nothing! It's no—" Lucar started.

"I'm not really a Pikachu, Joy. This was what I was trying to tell you last night." Carlos muttered. "I'm actually a human. I don't how I became a Pikachu. The only things I remember are my name and that I was human."

Joy blinked in confusion. "Human? But you look like a—"

"A normal Pikachu? I know. I said the same thing." Lucar said. "I think his visions have something to do with it, Joy. Sandra and I both believe him. It's your choice if you believe him or not, Joy."

The Raichu looked away, thinking. Then she looked at Carlos and nodded. "Well, that would explain all that weird stuff that's happened since you got here. The visions, Volt Tackle…I believe you, Carlos."

"Thanks, Joy." Carlos said. Then he yawned.

"Tired?" Joy asked.

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded.

"Good night, Carlos." Joy said softly.

_/See what I mean by Joy being motherly to us? Maybe it's a good thing. We certainly don't complain. My parents are gone, Lucar's abandoned him, and Carlos has none because he's human. What a strange batch of kids Joy has, right? Yeah…but she loves us and that's all that matters./_

The next morning, Carlos and Lucar went out to recite the cheers. Lucar reported what he found out about the Banette to Chatot and the rest of the Guild, announcing Sandra's kidnapping. After all was said and done, Wigglytuff ordered a dungeon-wide search for the missing Eevee.

"Thanks for all of this, Chatot. It's our fault. We should've known something was up." Carlos said.

"It's not your fault, Carlos! These things happen. We'll find her." Chatot replied.

"Thanks. So, what's our mission?" the Pikachu asked.

"You're lucky today, in a sense. Guildmaster Wigglytuff has decided to send you on your first exploration." Chatot explained. "There's a waterfall to the east that is rumored to be hiding a secret. I want you two to go there and find out what that secret is."

"Wow! Our first exploration!" Carlos cried.

"We'll be sure to find out that secret, Chatot." Lucar said. "You can count on us."

"I should hope so. I'm counting on you two to bring back some good news." Chatot nodded.

"Anything about Team Yami-Hikari?" Carlos asked.

"No," Chatot said sadly. "It's as if they vanished off the face of the earth. But don't fret! I've sent out one of our best exploration teams to search for them."

"I hope they find them soon. And Sandra, too." Carlos muttered.

"So do I, Carlos. So do I." Chatot agreed. "Now off you two go! Good luck out there!"

Just as Team Legend was about to leave the Guild, Joy rushed out to say goodbye. "Here, take this. If you meet up with that Banette again, tell Sandra to use it. This will enable her to fight him with you."

The Raichu handed them a silvery disk. Carlos put it in his bag and said his goodbyes. The duo headed down to Treasure Town to prepare and set out for the crossroads, walking toward the Secret Waterfall. Along the way, Carlos asked about the disk.

"What is it, exactly?" the Pikachu asked.

"It's a TM, otherwise known as a Technical Machine." Lucar explained. "Each disk has a single move stored inside of it that certain Pokemon can learn. Once you use a TM, it breaks because you can only use it once. There's a large variety of moves put in TMs, so I can't exactly identify which this one is."

"I wonder what it is." Carlos muttered, replacing the disk into the Treasure Bag.

"We better keep it safe." Lucar said. "Being a Normal-type, Sandra can't fight Ghost-type Pokemon. This move must be powerful."

_/Very powerful, indeed. This particular TM would aid me in many future missions, mainly against our bigger enemies. Thrax included. Not to mention, it's a favorite move of mine now. I owe Joy for giving this to me. I really do./_

"Yeah. Hey, we're here!" Carlos cried.

As they stood on the end of the path, the giant waterfall roared in front of them. Having never seen a waterfall before, Carlos was in awe. As they stepped closer, they could feel the power behind that falling wall of water. Lucar stepped back, suddenly wary.

"Now what? Any ideas, Carlos?" the Riolu asked.

"Can you see anything through the water? With your aura, I mean." Carlos asked.

"I'll see. I might need to get closer, though. I've never tried to sense aura through things before, especially water."

Lucar focused, trying to see through the water. He got a fuzzy image but nothing he could recognize. Stepping closer, he reached out a paw. _I hope I'm not going to sense a wall or something. That will be disappointing…_

Suddenly, his paw touched the water and sent him tumbling backward. Yelping, he banged the back of his head on a rock. Carlos quickly dashed to his side to check on him.

"Lucar! Are you okay?" the Pikachu asked.

"Yeah…I think…" Lucar slowly sat up, rubbing his aching head. "Man, that water's strong! You try touching it, Carlos. I'll catch you so you don't hit that rock like I did."

"O…Okay," _Oh, great! Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ Carlos thought.

The Pikachu slowly stepped forward, knowing what was going to happen to him. Reaching out a paw, he was sent flying backward instantly. Lucar, as promised, caught Carlos and slid backward a good foot or two before stopping. Once he could stand up on his own again, Carlos looked back at the waterfall.

"You're right. That's pretty powerful." Carlos said.

"Told you. Now what?" Lucar looked around with his aura vision. "I don't see anything, Carlos. Maybe Chatot was wrong about this waterfall having a secret. It seems like a normal waterfall to me."

"Yeah…maybe…" Carlos muttered.

Suddenly, Carlos' vision began to fade and dizziness set in. Carlos started to sway and stumble until he fell backward, hitting the ground in a similar fashion as he did in Treasure Town. Lucar said something but Carlos couldn't hear him. His vision faded to black as he passed out.

The image in his mind's eye was of the very waterfall he and Lucar were at. A shadowy figure that looked very familiar was standing there, watching the waterfall intently. Turning, the figure walked toward the edge of the path…only to turn and dashed full speed toward the waterfall! Taking a flying leap, the figure jumped through the waterfall and landed in a cavern on the other side. Shaking itself off, the figure wandered deeper into the cave.

Carlos struggled to open his eyes as the vision ended. _Another one? What was that?! Wait…could that be the secret? The cave behind the waterfall? Maybe…_

"Carlos? Carlos, answer me! Wake up!" Lucar's voice cried.

"Huh?" Carlos blinked sleepily and sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the waterfall roaring before them. "Lucar, I think I figured it out."

"Figured what out? Hey, wait! Did you have another vision?" the blind Riolu asked.

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "I saw somebody jump through the waterfall and land in a cave behind it. That must be the secret, Lucar. There's a cave behind the waterfall!"

"Hang on, Carlos. I'm willing to believe in your visions, but I've got concerns with jumping through a waterfall." Lucar argued. "For one, what if you're wrong? If we hit a solid wall, we're dead. If the collision doesn't kill us, the rocks at the bottom will. Have you thought of any of this?"

"Well…" _Lucar's right,_ Carlos thought. _What if we hit a solid rock wall? Both of the visions I saw before were of the future. What if this is, too? Maybe this isn't a good idea…_

"Well?" Lucar asked.

"…I'm still going to do it." Carlos replied. "If I die, I die. You don't have to, Lucar. I can understand. But I'm going to believe my visions."

_/This is another reason why I liked Carlos. He put his full faith in his visions, yet he took in what his friends told him as well. Lucar is more cautious and thinks things through before reacting. But you won't always have time for that. Sometimes, you just have to react without thinking and hope for the best./_

"Carlos!" Lucar cried. "You're kidding!"

"Nope," Carlos said. "See you on the other side, Lucar." _If there is an 'other side'. Hopefully, it's not heaven. I'm too young to die!_

"Carlos, don't! I'm serious!" Lucar begged.

Carlos backed up to the edge of the path and faced the waterfall. _Here goes nothing!_ The Pikachu charged, running as fast as he could on all fours toward the raging wall of water. Once he was a good foot away from the edge, he jumped and sailed through the water as high speed. He felt the pressure pushing him down, only to crash on a slick rock floor and escape the waterfall's grasp.

Coughing, Carlos rolled over on his back and took a deep breath. When he saw the rocky ceiling, he sat upright and realized where he was. "I made it!" he cried. "Lucar, come on! I was right! There's a cave here!" _I hope he can hear me over the waterfall._

On the other side of the waterfall, Lucar covered his ears as Carlos' voice echoed from the cave walls and through the water. "I heard you loud and clear! Now move so I don't hit you!" Lucar copied Carlos' actions, ready to jump through the falls.

Back in the cave, Carlos waited patiently for Lucar's reply. _Maybe he didn't hear me,_ he thought. _I should yell louder._

The Riolu ran toward the raging falls and took a deep breath, praying to Arceus that he made it. Once he got near enough, judging from the sound and his aura vision, he jumped…and crashed directly into Carlos on the other side of the falls. Both Team Legend members were sent sprawling across the slick stone floor, yelping. When they came to a stop, they untangled themselves and looked around.

"You were right, Carlos. I wonder why my aura vision didn't detect this." Lucar wondered.

"Maybe your aura can't see through water." Carlos suggested.

"Maybe,"

Carlos stood up and looked ahead at the gaping cave mouth. "Well, let's do this!" Carlos cried. "We came here to explore a new place. Let's do a good job." _For Sandra's sake_, he thought.

"Right!" Lucar nodded and got up. "Let's go!"

As one, the pair entered the cave to begin their exploration. While they were continuing their job, Sandra was in for a bit of a shock back at Spacial Rift.

_Spacial Rift…_

"What is this place? Mr. Banette, where are we?" Sandra asked.

"Spacial Rift," the Banette replied, looking around. _Where is he? He should've been here by now!_

"Where's my sister?"

"Oh, she should be coming any time now." The Banette looked away, anger in his eyes. _What's taking him so long?!_

Sandra looked around, frightened. Something about this place…didn't seem right. _My sister wouldn't come to a place like this. Not unless one of her friends were in danger. Then again…my sister hates Ghost-type Pokemon. Why would she be friends with a Banette? Could it be…?_

_Come on, come on, come on! You should be here by now!_ Banette's hands clenched into fists as his anger grew stronger. _What's taking you so long?!_

"Mr. Banette?"

"What?!" Banette whirled around and glared at her. Once he realized who it was, he shook his head and put on a smile. "I mean, yes? I apologize. Your sister seems to be taking longer than usual to get here."

"Can I ask you something?" Sandra asked.

"Yes, of course! Anything!"

"What does my sister hate the most?"

"Uh…hate? That's a strong word. Let me see." Banette turned away and tapped his chin in thought. _Hate? What do Dark-types hate the most? Oh, why is she so difficult? And where is the boss?!_ Suddenly, he got an idea and spun around. "The one thing your sister hates the most is Fighting-type Pokemon."

_No…it can't be! But how did we fall for it so easily?_ "You're…wrong." Sandra said. "My sister hates Ghost-type Pokemon, Banette. You're not my sister's friend! And I bet my sister isn't even coming here!"

_Shoot!_ Banette thought. _Game over…_ "All right, you win. I'm not your sister's friend and she's not coming. But somebody you know very well is coming." Banette said. "And I know what you really are."

"Huh?" _What I…really am?_ Sandra thought. _What's this guy talking about?_

"I know you're not a real Pokemon…human!" Banette shouted.

"Huh? I'm not human!" Sandra yelped. _What does he want with a human? There aren't any…Carlos! He's after Carlos!_ "What do you want with a human? I'm not human!"

"Oh, really? I overheard you in the corridor of Drenched Bluff. You admitted to your Pikachu friend that you were human!" Banette accused.

"Admit? I didn't admit anything!" Sandra argued. "You heard wrong! I'm not the human! Carlos is!" Her paws suddenly clapped over her mouth. _Ahhh! I'm such an idiot! Why did I tell him?!_

"Carlos? Who's Carlos?" Banette asked. _If she's not the human…_ He suddenly screamed. "I got the wrong one! He's going to kill me!"

_/You might already know who 'he' really is. If not, you'll see him later. I didn't know why he was after Carlos or why he used Banette to kidnap me, only that he was strong enough to make even Banette cower in fear. If only I had seen him then, maybe I could've prevented what would happen to us later./_

Banette suddenly grabbed Sandra. "We have to move fast! Before he finds me! Where are your friends?!"

"I don't know! They could be anywhere!" Sandra yelped. "I could go to the Guild and find out from Chatot!"

"Good enough!" Banette phased through the floor, pulling Sandra after him. _I've just got to pray that I get to them before the boss gets here. I can't fail him! I just can't!_

_Back at Wigglytuff's Guild…_

Joy snapped awake, looking around. She was certain she heard a loud crack just a moment ago. Looking around, she noticed the egg had rolled out of her arms and onto the cold dirt floor. Getting up, she walked toward it.

"Come on, little egg. Mommy doesn't want you to get cold." Joy said.

When she tried to grab the egg, it suddenly rolled away from her. She repeated this a few times before she finally managed to grab the blue and tan egg. Then a loud crack sounded and Joy looked down nervously. Cracks spider-webbed across the egg's surface at a fast pace. The Raichu was shocked.

"It's hatching," she whispered.


	13. Chapter 12: Battling Banette

Chapter 12: Battling Banette

"Chatot!" Sandra cried, bursting into the Guild. "Chatot, where are you?!"

"Sandra! Oh my goodness, you're safe!" Chatot flapped toward her. "Carlos told me everything about that Banette. We're so glad you're okay!"

"Chatot, where's Carlos? I need to see him!" Sandra begged.

"Carlos? He and Lucar went to Waterfall Cave on an exploration. Why do you ask?" Chatot asked.

Sandra lowered her voice. "That Banette wasn't after me. He wanted Carlos. He sent me in here to find where Carlos is. What's the farthest dungeon you—"

"I know what you're doing," a voice chuckled. "And it won't work. Waterfall Cave, right? Thanks for the information, birdy."

"Oh no!" Sandra growled, turning to glare at Banette.

"I appreciate your assistance, Sandra, but I really must be going. I have a human to capture." Banette phased through the ceiling and teleported toward the waterfall.

"I have to go after him!" the Eevee cried.

Sandra started climbing the ladder when Joy ran into the room, carrying the hatching egg. "Chatot, it's hatching! The egg is hatching!" The Raichu noticed Sandra instantly. "Sandra! You're all right!"

"Joy, we have a big problem!" Sandra said. "The Banette that kidnapped me is going after Carlos. I have to go to Waterfall Cave and stop him!"

"What?!" Joy yelped. "Oh my! I'll go, too!"

CRACK!!

The eggshell finally fell away and all eyes were on the baby Pokemon within it. Sitting up, the baby rubbed its eyes and yawned. The Pokemon that rested in Joy's arms…was a baby Minun. He looked up and cooed happily upon seeing Joy.

"He must think you're his mother, Joy." Sandra said.

"I guess so. Hi, dearie." Joy giggled.

"Um…don't you have an emergency?" Chatot asked.

"Oh yeah! Joy, let's go!" Sandra shot up the ladder and ran down the stairs toward Treasure Town. _Carlos, hang on! I'm coming!_

"Chatot, would you mind watching him for me?" Joy asked.

"Of course!" Chatot nodded.

"Thank you. Be good!" Joy ran up the ladder after the Eevee.

Chatot looked down at the baby Electric-type. "Well, this should be easy enough. I deal with rebellious recruits every single day," he said to himself. "I think I can handle a baby for a few hours."

_/Unfortunately for Chatot, this baby isn't easy to care for. For instance, he only wanted to be with his 'mom', Joy. And he also had a few secret weapons to use in order to find his 'mom', as you're about to see./_

The baby Minun looked up at the bird curiously. Then he watched as Joy left. He slowly crawled toward the ladder, wanting to follow his 'mom'. Chatot was quick to stop him, which only caused the baby to cry.

"Oh, quit that. Joy will be back soon enough." Chatot said. "Calm down, little one,"

Then the baby stopped crying…and began singing. Chatot didn't get it, only to start swaying as he felt sleepy. Then he realized what was going on.

"Egg moves," he muttered. "Clever. Ugh…" Chatot fell flat on his back, fast asleep.

The Minun giggled before he crawled toward the ladder and started climbing up it. It was difficult but he managed it. Upon reaching the top, he simply followed his nose until he reached the waterfall.

Joy was about to jump through the waterfall as Sandra previously had, only to feel a tug on her tail. Turning, she was shocked to see the baby sitting there. The Minun giggled and sucked on a paw cutely.

"Oh…fine. But stay close!" Joy said.

Picking up the baby, she charged and jumped through the waterfall. After telling Sandra what happened, the Eevee groaned but accepted it. Turning, the trio headed further into the cave in search of their teammates.

_On the sixth floor of Waterfall Cave…_

Lucar and Carlos continued to traverse through Waterfall Cave, searching for anything that could be considered treasure. Lucar used Force Palm to defeat a nearby Surskit while Carlos used Thundershock on a Poliwag. The enemies here were a tad smarter than they were in the other dungeons.

As they ran up the stairs to the eighth floor, Banette appeared. "Where are they?" He looked around. "They must've already passed me. Going up!" He phased through the ceiling, searching for the two Team Legend members.

On the eighth floor, Carlos and Lucar tag-teamed against a Grimer after it ambushed them. It managed to use Poison Gas, poisoning the Pikachu. Lucar managed to stun it, allowing Carlos to defeat it with Thundershock.

Only moments later, a ball of mud collided with the back of Carlos' head. He turned and glared at the Wooper that managed to get alongside him. "Stupid Mud Shot!" he growled.

Lucar hit it with Force Palm while Carlos used Quick Attack, defeating it. Walking down the corridor, they finally found the stairs…and an all-too-familiar Pokemon.

"Banette! What are you doing here?" Carlos asked. "Where's Sandra? And Lune?"

"They're not here…and they won't be coming." Banette said.

"Carlos, careful! This guy's really strong!" Lucar warned.

"Where's Sandra?! Where did you take her?!" Carlos demanded.

"She's back at Wigglytuff's Guild. Me capturing her was a mistake on my part." Banette admitted. "My true target…was you, Carlos."

"Me?" Carlos repeated. "What do you want with me?"

"I'm under the employment of someone who wants two people in this world captured. One happens to be a human." Banette explained. "I don't know nor care who the other is. And since you happen to have been human at one point, I have to bring you to my boss."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Carlos growled.

"Oh," Banette chuckled darkly. "Who said you had a choice in the matter? You're coming with me…whether you like it or not."

_/This battle would explain everything to us about Banette's motives. If only he actually knew who his boss was, we could've avoided meeting him later altogether. But if he had, we might not have met Grovyle. Every event has its pros and cons, whether you like what they are or not./_

"I think we'll have to fight him, Carlos. He won't leave you alone otherwise!" Lucar said.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

"You want to fight? Bring it, human." Banette said, smirking.

"Remember, we can't use physical attacks on him. They won't work." Lucar reminded. "Go with your lightning attacks, Carlos."

"Right!" Carlos said. "Let's get him!"

The duo charged at the Ghost-type. Banette smiled. "Shadow Sneak!" he cried, vanishing.

Lucar and Carlos skidded to a stop and looked around, trying to find Banette. "Where'd he go?" Carlos asked.

A fist connected with the Pikachu's back, throwing him to the ground. Carlos turned just in time to see Banette vanish again. Lucar tried to dash to Carlos' side, only to get from behind by Shadow Sneak. The duo struggled to their feet and glared at him.

"Thundershock!" Carlos cried.

"Force Palm!" Lucar shouted.

Banette dodged around the Force Palm, only to scream as the electricity struck him. Recovering, Banette unleashed a black beam of energy toward Carlos and tossed him away. Vanishing again, he struck Lucar from behind and laughed as he hit the ground. Carlos coughed and sat up, growling.

"You guys are making this far too easy on me. You must be very weak." Banette said. "Oh, I forget my formalities. I only know one of you by name."

"Lucar," the Riolu coughed. "Why do you care?"

"I like to know the names of my opponents before I defeat them." Banette said. "As for me, my name is Dusk."

"Dusk," Carlos repeated, getting up. "I'll remember to tell Sheriff Magnezone that when we turn you in!"

"Turn me in? You've only landed one hit on me! You honestly think you can defeat me?" Banette asked.

"I don't know…but we can sure try!" Carlos declared.

"Night Shade!" the Banette, Dusk, shouted.

Carlos dodged it and unleashed a Thunder Wave, hitting Dusk dead-on. Dusk growled as his body locked up, paralyzed. Lucar took his chance to hit him with Force Palm. Dusk snarled in rage and managed to break away, escaping their line of fire.

"You got lucky." Dusk said. "But your luck's run out!"

"Thunderbolt!" a voice cried.

"YAAAAAH!!" Dusk screamed as he was shocked for the third time. He whirled around and glared at the newcomers. "Well, look who made it."

"Carlos!" Sandra cried.

"Sandra!" Carlos gasped. "You're okay!"

"Yeah!" The Eevee glared at Dusk. "I'm not letting you take Carlos!"

"You think a wimpy Normal-type can stop me? Hah! In your dreams!" Dusk laughed.

Carlos suddenly remembered the TM Joy gave him. Grabbing it, he tossed it at Sandra. "Here! Use it!" he cried.

"Okay!" Sandra nodded.

She pressed the TM to her forehead and felt new energy flowing through her veins as she learned the new move, giving up Growl in exchange. She had no idea what this move was but something told her it was good.

"Idiot! You'll be the first to go down!" Dusk laughed. "Night Shade!"

"No…I…won't!!" Sandra cried.

A ball of dark energy appeared in her jaws, growing larger until it hovered in front of her. It launched, crashing into Dusk and sending him crashing into a wall. The Eevee stared at the damage in shock. Dusk, on the other hand, coughed heavily and struggled to his feet.

"Holy! What was that?" Carlos cried.

"Shadow Ball!" Lucar replied. "It's a really rare TM that's pretty hard to get. Joy, how did you find one?"

"It was a present from my grandfather." Joy explained. "He's really forgetful and actually thought I could learn that move. I thought Sandra could use it better than I ever could, especially since she's weak against Ghost-type Pokemon."

"Wow! Thanks, Joy!" Sandra cried.

"You're welcome, Sandra. What are teammates for?" Joy giggled.

Dusk struggled to stand up, glaring at the Raichu. "Grrr! You'll pay for that, mousy!"

"Huh?" Carlos turned to see the Banette getting up. "Joy, look out!"

"Shadow Sneak!" Dusk cried.

Dusk vanished, reappearing behind Joy and punching her as hard as he could. Joy cried out, hitting the ground hard. The baby Minun stared in shock as his 'mom' was injured. Turning, he glared at the Ghost-type.

Dusk smirked. "Awww! Look at that! You guys brought a baby here?" he asked. "I thought you knew better than that."

"Minun mi! Mi!" the Minun cried.

"A Minun? Where did it come from, Sandra?" Lucar asked.

"The egg hatched," Sandra said shortly. "Banette, you better not touch that Minun!"

"Or what?" Dusk chuckled.

"Mi…" Suddenly, the Minun started to sing.

Dusk blinked curiously at him. "Huh? Are you going to sing me to death or something?" He laughed, unaware that his eyelids were growing heavy.

"No, Minun! Stop that!" Lucar cried. "Most Banette have the ability Insom—"

Dusk groaned, rubbing his eyes in confusion. Swaying slowly, he stumbled back a step and yawned. Before he could say anything, he fell flat on his back and snored. The Banette was asleep.

"…nia?" Lucar finished.

"You were saying?" Sandra giggled.

Joy sat up and hugged the baby Minun. "He must have the Frisk ability instead," she said. "Lucky for us. What do we do now?"

"I say we tie him up and bring him to Sheriff Magnezone!" Carlos suggested.

"That won't work if he wakes up. He'll phase through whatever we tie him up with." Joy reminded. "We'll have to weaken him to the point where he can't phase through solid objects anymore."

"But he's asleep!" Sandra said.

"He'll wake up soon enough and when he does, he'll fight us again." Lucar explained. "We don't have a choice. We fight him until he can barely fight back. Then we tie him up and get out of here."

"Sounds good," Carlos muttered. "Let's do it."

"Let's give him a wake-up call, Electric-type style." Joy said.

Carlos nodded. Sparks jumped from the two Electric-type Pokemon's cheeks as they readied their attacks. As one, they shocked Dusk with as much electricity as they could dish out. The Ghost-type screamed, snapping awake instantly. When the attacks ended, Dusk was twitching on the ground.

"Don't let up!" Lucar cried. "He's stronger than us but we can overwhelm him!"

Dusk cried out as he was hit with Force Palms, Shadow Balls, and Thundershocks. Growling, he mustered up enough force to throw them all off the moment their attacks paused. Standing up, he materialized a long silver pin in his hand.

"You got lucky putting me to sleep, brats. It's about time I ended this and took my prize!" Dusk growled. "It's the end of the line for your friends, Carlos! I'll give you one last chance to come quietly."

"No way!" the Pikachu cried. "Let's get him, guys!"

"Too bad. I didn't want to have to do this." Dusk muttered. "But you're giving me no choice. Don't blame me if you get hurt!"

"Same to you!" Sandra countered. "Shadow Ba—"

"Curse!" Dusk stabbed the pin into his chest.

The Eevee screamed as pain exploded from her chest, making her stare at the ground. Her attack exploded in her face, causing her to collapse. Lucar and Joy attempted to attack, only to fall as Dusk stabbed himself in the hands and feet. Not bothering with the baby Minun, he turned to Carlos.

"Now do you see what you're up against?!" Dusk demanded.

"Yeah! A thief who doesn't care about who gets hurt as long as he completes his objective! That's what I see, Dusk!" Carlos cried.

Dusk suddenly froze up. _Doesn't care…about who gets hurt? Hurt? Why does that…?!_

The image of a family of Manectric appeared in his mind's eye. They were huddled around a young Electrike that lay on the ground, lifeless. The two Manectric parents turned to glare at him, snarling and calling him a murderer. He stared in horror as they pounced, ready to rip him apart.

_/You'll learn more about that scene a bit later. Dusk's past always haunts him, even to this day. He thinks he'll never have a chance to redeem himself. Fate, on the other hand, always has other plans…/_

The Banette was jerked out of the terrible memory when Carlos jumped, flying through his body. The Pikachu crashed and rolled along the ground. It took a second for Dusk to realize that he dropped his pin.

"Carlos, you idiot! I said physical attacks don't work on Ghost-types!" Lucar cried.

"Oh, yeah!" Carlos nodded. Turning, he ran toward Dusk on all fours. Sparks jumped from his cheeks. "Thunder—"

Dusk snatched up his pin and stabbed it into his left hand. "Curse!" he shouted.

Pain erupted from Carlos' left paw, making him slip and crash face-first to the ground. Refusing to give in, he struggled upright and glared at Dusk. Panting for breath, he prepared another Quick Attack even though he knew it wouldn't work. Instinct just told him to do it.

Dusk smirked. "Didn't you hear your friend? Physical attacks don't work on me!" he reminded.

"I know," Carlos replied coldly.

"Huh?" Dusk felt a shiver crawl up his spine. _What's this weird feeling? Like something bad is about to happen…but what?_

"Guys, get as far away as you can." Carlos warned. _Could this be…? It's almost like back at Mt. Bristle when I fought Drowzee._

Seeing the look on Carlos' face, Joy scooped up the Minun and moved toward the back wall. Sandra and Lucar followed her, trusting Carlos with his decision. Dusk watched the curiously before turning his attention back to the Pikachu. Carlos suddenly dashed toward him with Quick Attack.

"This fight's over, Dusk!" Carlos cried.

"Over? You think a single Quick Attack can beat me?" Dusk challenged. He raised the pin above his head. "I don't think so. Curse!" He stabbed the pin into his chest, smirking.

Carlos grit his teeth as the pain hit, focusing only on protecting his friends. Shocked, Dusk started stabbing his hands and feet. Carlos continued running, biting his lip as the pain increased. Suddenly frightened, Dusk took a step back from the approaching Pikachu.

_What's going on here?!_ Dusk thought. _Why isn't he falling? Why is he still running? Why?!_

Electricity suddenly exploded from Carlos' cheeks, covering his whole body. The pain faded under the onslaught of adrenaline as his speed increased. Carlos took a flying leap, ramming into Dusk's chest.

"VOLT TACKLE!!!" Carlos yelled.

Dusk screamed as he was electrocuted. This electricity was stronger than any Electric-type attack he'd ever been hit with before and he didn't know why. The attack ended and Carlos landed. Standing up, he watched as the Banette slowly fell onto his back as he passed out.

Carlos coughed as the electricity returned to his cheeks. "I told you, Dusk. This fight's over."

"Yahoo! You did it, Carlos! You beat him!" Sandra cried.

"Quick! Get some seaweed and let's tie him up!" Joy ordered. She patted Dusk's arm. "Yep! He's solid."

Lucar dashed to the water's edge and tore some long seaweed off of the bottom, smacking away a Barboach that dared to get close. Returning to the group, he and Carlos tied Dusk up tightly so he couldn't escape if he happened to wake up. Once that was through, the team turned to a different matter.

"So, the egg was a Minun this whole time. That makes three Electric-types on Team Legend." Lucar said.

"He's so cute!" Sandra cried. "Does he have a name, Joy?"

"Not yet." Joy replied. "Let's see…"

Carlos smiled, patting the Minun on the head. "How about…Michael?" he suggested.

"Michael? That's an odd name." Sandra said.

"Oh, I love odd names! Michael it is!" Joy cried, scooping up the baby Minun. "Welcome to the team, Michael!"

"Minun mi!" the Minun, Michael, cooed happily.

"Well…now what? We still have to finish the exploration." Lucar reminded.

"Then let's finish it and then head for home. We have to turn Dusk in for what he did." Carlos said. "Besides, I think this is the last floor. Let's see if there's any treasure upstairs!"

"Yeah!" Sandra said. "I hope there is! Not only did we do an exploration but we defeated a criminal, too! We better get a big reward for all of this trouble!"

Lucar nodded. "I agree. It's only fair."

"Well, let's go and see what we can find!" Joy cried.

Dragging the unconscious Dusk behind them, Team Legend climbed the stairs in search of treasure. And they'd sure find it, along with a very unpleasant surprise…


	14. Chapter 13: Meeting Horus

Hey there! As you can all guess, my writer's block for Quest to Capture the Shadow Pokemon has returned. While I try desperately to break it, I'll work on updating this story. I've decided to make it an alternate reality of PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness. If you've read my journal on my Deviantart page, you'll know how that kind of works.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I also down not own Team Yami-Hikari or Team Raptors. They belong to HikariPachi and Twilit King Umbros (formerly known as and Bio Warrior 3000).

Chapter 13: Meeting Horus

Diamonds. Hundreds of big, glittering, beautiful diamonds. That's what the whole upstairs room was filled with. The room was practically glowing with rainbow color! Team Legend looked around in awe.

"It's so beautiful!" Sandra cried.

"How are we going to get all of these back home?" Carlos asked.

"All of what? I can't see, remember?" Lucar said.

"Oh, sorry!" Carlos chuckled. "There are crystals and diamonds and stuff all over the place. It's beautiful, Lucar!"

_/That room was the most beautiful thing I ever saw at that point in time. But later on, I would see even more beautiful scenes. Beauty is a part of life and is something everyone has deep down inside of them. Sometimes, you just have to dig deep to find that beauty in a person./_

Joy gasped. "Look at this one! We could bring this one back, guys!"

Team Legend followed Joy toward the back of the room and realized what the Raichu meant. At the end of a small path lined with small crystals…was a very large red diamond. Dashing up to it, Carlos nodded.

"All right! Let's try to move it, guys!" the Pikachu said. "Lucar, you're the strongest physically. You go first."

"Sure." Lucar nodded.

The Riolu held his paws out and walked forward, stopping once he touched the giant crystal. Gripping its base, he struggled to pull it out of the ground. After a few seconds of pulling, he backed up and panted.

"I can't!" Lucar gasped. "Too heavy! It's stuck tight, too!"

"Here, let me try!" Carlos said.

"Good luck!" the Riolu said, backing up.

Kneeling down, Carlos grabbed the base of the crystal and heaved upward. It didn't budge an inch. Carlos tried a few more times before he backed up, gasping for breath. He didn't need to speak. The message was clear. He couldn't move it either.

"Hey! Let's all try!" Joy suggested.

"I'll watch Dusk and Michael." Carlos said.

Joy, Lucar, and Sandra all struggled to pull the crystal out of the ground. Carlos sighed and watched Michael try to bite a small crystal by his feet. Dusk was leaned against a large crystal, his head slumped over in unconsciousness. He wouldn't be waking up any time soon…hopefully.

Feeling a bit dizzy, the Pikachu sat down and leaned against a crystal. A flash of light erupted from behind his eyes and the vision began. The same figure that jumped through the waterfall earlier was in the room, struggling to pull the crystal from the ground. Then the figure pushed down on the crystal and the room shook. A giant wave of water exploded from the right wall, carrying the figure away and flooding the room.

"Whoa!" Carlos snapped awake, the vision fresh in his mind. _What was…? Could that be why we can't move it? It's a trigger for some kind of trap! We have to make sure not to press down on it!_

He looked up in time to see his friends giving up on trying to pull it out of the ground. Lucar and Joy sat on the floor, exhausted. Sandra, on the other hand, noticed something at the base of the crystal: a tiny ring of loose gravel that allowed the crystal to move in some way.

Carlos got up and walked toward them. "Guys, I had another vision. This crystal's impossible to pull out of the ground!" he said.

"Really?" Lucar asked.

"Yeah. It's not even a real crystal." Carlos explained. "It's actually the trigger to a—"

Sandra smiled triumphantly. _Maybe if we press down on it, it'll pop out of the ground. Better see if it works!_ "Hey, guys! I think I found a way to get it out!" she cried. Hopping upright, she placed her front paws on the top of the crystal and pressed down on it.

"Sandra, no!" Carlos cried.

"What?!" Sandra yelped, leaping away from the crystal.

"That's not a real crystal! It's a trigger to a bobby trap!" Carlos cried. "And you just triggered it, Sandra!"

"A trap?" Lucar asked. "What kind of trap?"

"A trap that—Whoa!"

The whole room began to shake heavily, tossing almost everyone off of their feet. Dusk yelped, snapping awake when his head hit a small crystal. Looking around, he glared at his captors…only to look toward the right as a loud rumble echoed from it.

"W-What's h-h-happening?!" Sandra cried.

"Earthquake!" Lucar shouted.

"No! Not an earthquake!" Carlos argued.

Small trickles of water spread along the floor. Michael, being a newborn, instantly started playing in it. With a loud crash, a huge wave of water shot into the room.

"Flood! Run!" Joy screamed, snatching up Michael and running.

It took only seconds for the water to catch up to the fleeing Exploration Team, sweeping them away in its powerful current. Even Dusk was swept away despite his desperate attempt to phase through his bonds to safety. Trapped underwater momentarily, the ground struggled desperately with held breath.

The water suddenly exploded from the top of Waterfall Cave, rocketing them hundreds of feet into the air. The water soon vanished, leaving the group to fall toward the ground far below…

_/That was probably the scariest thing I'd ever experienced. Nothing compares to it. I've nearly died several times over, fought amazingly-powerful Pokemon, and held the world on my shoulders twice. All of that is nothing compared to free-falling through the air toward the ground, uncertain whether you'll live or die. Luckily for us, we never exactly hit the ground per say./_

Carlos couldn't breath. One moment he was falling, the next he was drowning again. He paddled his paws desperately. _I won't die here! I can't!_

A pair of paws grabbed his arm, pulling him above the surface. Coughing and sputtering, the Pikachu looked around. He was in a large pool of water with other Pokemon!

"You can stand up, you know. You're okay, right?" a voice asked.

"Huh?" Carlos turned to see Teddiursa standing near him, releasing his arm. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks. Um…where are we?"

Lucar and Joy suddenly surfaced beside him, Michael held above Joy's head. After looking around, the duo voiced the same question. Teddiursa giggled before replying.

"Welcome to the hot springs!" she said.

"Hot springs? How did we get to a hot spring from a cave?" Lucar asked.

"You just dropped out of the sky with no warning whatsoever," an Ursaring explained. "You four and two others. Speaking of them, you better help them up."

Carlos turned to see Sandra floundering helplessly, unaware that she could touch the bottom. She was paddling madly, shouting for help and saying she was drowning. The Pikachu waded over and pulled her up, making sure her feet touched the ground.

"It's okay, Sandra!" he reassured.

"No, I'm not! I'm going to drown!" Sandra complained.

"Just put her on the rocks. I'll get the Banette." Lucar said, wading toward the soaked Ghost-type.

Carlos waded toward the rocks surrounding the edge of the hot spring and shoved the Eevee onto them. Sandra scrambled onto the rock and glared at the water, acting as if it would reach up and drag her back in if she didn't pay attention.

"Sandra, are you scared of water?" Carlos asked.

The Eevee nodded. "Yes," she squeaked. "I hate water. I nearly drowned as a cub back home."

"But it's shallow!" Carlos argued.

"Even shallow water can kill." Sandra said, backing away from the edge of the rock.

Before Carlos could reply, Lucar dropped Dusk onto a nearby rock. The Banette was complaining about how they nearly let him drown and such, calling them crazy. Ignoring him, the Riolu turned to Carlos.

"How do we get home now?" Lucar asked. "We don't know where we are."

"I don't know," Carlos admitted. "But we'll find a way."

"If you youngsters happen to have a map on you, I could point out where you are," a voice said.

Leaving Sandra and Dusk on the rocks, Carlos and the others approached an old Torkoal standing at the edge of the hot spring. "Yeah, we have a map. We're explorers, after all," the Pikachu said.

Pulling out the map, he placed it before the turtle. "You are right here." He pointed to a location on the map that the clouds had recently uncovered. "Now then, where did you youngsters come from?"

"Here," Joy pointed to Waterfall Cave. "We triggered a trap and the room flooded. We got blown out of the mystery dungeon by a jet of water that must've carried us all the way here."

"My, what a long journey!" Torkoal cried. "Well then, why not rest here until you're ready to travel again? I'm sure you're all very tired."

"Sure. Why not?" Carlos shrugged.

Lucar floated on his back near Carlos, who was watching Sandra sadly. He wanted her to enjoy this, too. Wading toward her, he smiled.

"You sure you don't want to come in?" he asked.

"I don't like water." Sandra said.

"You can hang onto me, Sandra. I won't let go of you." Carlos promised.

Sandra looked warily at the water and then back at Carlos. _He hasn't broken a promise to me before,_ she thought. Reluctantly, she crept to the edge of the rock and jumped into the Pikachu's arms. She jumped at first to being lowered into the water, hooking her claws into his shoulders.

"It's okay, Sandra." Carlos said. "You're okay."

"You better not drop me." Sandra hissed.

"I won't. Now relax, okay?" Carlos suggested.

"…Fine."

The Eevee let herself be lowered into the water, keeping her paws firmly on Carlos' shoulders. Spotting a shadow coming toward her, she screamed and jumped out of the water. Michael soon surfaced, giggling as Joy quickly scooped him up.

"It was just Michael, Sandra." Carlos said.

"It could've been something else! Something dangerous!" Sandra cried.

"There's nothing dangerous in a hot spring! I won't let anything hurt you, Sandra." Carlos begged. "I promise."

Sandra whimpered before nodding, letting herself be lowered into the warm water yet again. She stood on her hind legs so the water only reached her chest, keeping her front paws on the Pikachu's shoulders. She relaxed a bit, trusting Carlos to keep her safe.

Laughter sounded from nearby. "Poor kid's scared of the water, eh? You'll have to lose that fear eventually if you want to stay an explorer."

"Huh?" Sandra turned to see a Blaziken seated in the hot spring. "Blake! You big meanie! Where were you this whole time?!"

"Blake?" the Blaziken repeated. "I think you got the wrong guy, miss. The name's Horus, not Blake."

"Oh! Oops…" Sandra whimpered. "Sorry."

"Hey, you're the little sister of that missing team. Team Yami-Hikari, right?" the Blaziken, Horus, asked. "My team and I have been searching for them."

"You're an explorer, too?" Carlos asked.

"Yep. You've probably heard of us." Horus said. "Team Raptors,"

"Team Raptors?! The famous Diamond-ranked Exploration Team?!" Sandra cried. "That means…you must be Horus Blazer, the team leader of Team Raptors!"

"Someone's done their homework." Horus chuckled. "Yeah, that's me. You must be Sandra of Team Legend. Nice to meet you."

"S-Same here!" Sandra nodded.

"I've never heard of you." Carlos said.

"Huh? That's odd." Horus blinked curiously.

"He's a foreigner, that's why! Never heard of Exploration Teams either before we made Team Legend!" Lucar cried, quickly leaping to Carlos' defense.

"Foreigner? We don't get many of them around here." Horus chuckled. "Well, now you've heard of me. Looks like you kids caught yourself that elusive kidnapper, Dusk the Banette."

Carlos turned to look at Dusk, who was glaring at him with hatred. "Yeah, we did. He kidnapped Sandra and tried to get me, too. But we beat him. We're going to turn him in to Sheriff Magnezone once we return to Treasure Town."

"Good. There are far too many bad Pokemon running around these days." Horus said. "But for everyone one criminal we turn in, three more spring up to take their place. It's endless! But we can't jut let them overrun us. We have to keep catching them, no matter how long it takes. That's our job as explorers."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

Joy stood up and waded over. "Michael's tired. We should probably head back now, Carlos."

"Probably," Carlos agreed. "Lucar, could you get Dusk?"

"Sure!" The Riolu waded over and grabbed the Banette, dragging him over. "We're leaving?"

"Yeah," Sandra said. "And…Carlos? Thanks…for making me get into the hot spring. It feels…nice."

Carlos smiled. "No problem, Sandra!"

The Eevee blushed and looked away. _Maybe water isn't as bad as I thought._

_/Water had quite the negative impact on my life before I became an explorer on Team Legend. Bullies like Gengar, Absol, and Manectric used it against me frequently, not to mention when I nearly drowned as a cub. If there was anything that gave me a load of trouble, it was my fear of water. I'm glad I'm free of it now. Life is so much easier without it weighing me down./_

"Good luck, you kids!" Horus called. "And tell Guildmaster Wigglytuff I said 'hi'."

"We will, Horus. Thanks!" Carlos said. He held up their badge. "Mission complete!"

In a flash of white light, they were gone. Horus sighed and leaned further back in the water. Something about Carlos reminded him of someone…but who? And why? After a few seconds, he remembered what he was there for at all. _I still have to get a birthday present for Garde,_ he realized.

_Wigglytuff's Guild…_

Team Legend and Dusk reappeared, tumbling into a pile like usual. Chatot and Wigglytuff were both standing there, Sheriff Magnezone floating nearby as they awaited the Exploration Team's return. After untangling themselves, Carlos shoved the captured Banette forward.

"We caught him, Chatot!" the Pikachu said, turning to face Sheriff Magnezone. "His name is Dusk and he kidnapped my teammate, Kit. We caught him during our mission."

"BZZZT! Congratulations, Team Legend! This is your first time catching a major criminal and you've done it successfully! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone cried. "BZZZT! I will take him into custody immediately! Here is your reward! BZZZT!"

Chatot was quick to snatch the bag of money away before Carlos could even grab it, peeking inside to determine the amount. "My word! 10,000 poke?!" Chatot squawked.

"BZZZT! Dusk the Banette was a highly-elusive criminal with many charged placed against him! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone explained. "BZZZT! His previous bounty was a mere 4000 poke in accordance to his thievery and kidnapping sprees. His bounty jumped after he killed the son of a pair of Manectric serving the Northern Desert kingdom's royal family. BZZZT!"

Dusk hung his head instantly at the mention of the murder. "…If you're going to execute me, do it already," he hissed. "Don't keep those Manectric in suspense."

"BZZZT! Your crime does not warrant execution, as much as those Manectric approved of it. You'll be taken to prison and will carry out your sentence as all criminals do. BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said.

"Whatever," Dusk grumbled. He turned to glare at Carlos. "I'll get you back for this, Carlos. You count on it."

The Pikachu stopped Magnezone just before he dragged the prisoner away. "I just have one question, Dusk. Who wanted to capture me and why?" he demanded.

"I never saw the face of my employer, so I wouldn't know. As for the second, he said something about you being a threat to his master's plans. That's all I know. He kept quiet." Dusk replied.

_Could somebody else know about my past? But who?_ Carlos wondered.

"BZZZT! I will be taking our criminal here back to the station and have him locked up right away! Keep up the good work, Team Legend! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone shoved Dusk forward, climbing up the ladder and leaving Wigglytuff's Guild behind them.

_/Oh, don't you worry. We'll be seeing Dusk again in the near future, but his intentions won't be nearly as malicious as they were this time. This whole fiasco took two days out of our week of torture. You'll see what the other five days hold in store for us soon./_

"Well now, this mission was worth a good 20 points and has given you 1000 poke as a reward. Congratulations on ascending to Bronze Rank, Team Legend!" Chatot cheered. "Now that you have 15 points, you only need 385 points to reach Silver Rank!"

"Three…hundred?" Sandra squeaked. "But that's so much!"

"Wait until you get near Master Rank." Chatot said. "At least 63,000 points if I remember correctly."

"Sixty three…thousand?!" Sandra yelped. "And Team Moonlight nearly achieved that?!"

"Yep! It took a long time but they almost managed it…well, they _would_ have if they hadn't vanished six years ago." Chatot sighed sadly. Shaking his head, the Flying-type turned back to them. "Well, you've had a long day of exploring. What were the results of the exploration I sent you on, Carlos?"

"There's a cave behind the waterfall, Chatot, along with a mystery dungeon." Carlos explained. "Once you've passed through all eight floors, you arrive at this big room filled with jewels growing from the ground! We tried to bring the biggest one back with us but it triggered a trap and flushed us out of the dungeon."

"Literally," Lucar added. "The room flooded and we were sent flying on a spout of water. We landed in the hot springs and met up with Team Raptors' leader, Horus Blazer."

"My, what an adventure you had! Not only did you take down a tough criminal but you discovered a new place. Splendid!" Chatot cried. "Oh, what until I tell the Guildmaster!"

"Actually…" Carlos started. _That shadow in my vision…it had to be._

"Huh? What's the matter, Carlos?" Joy asked.

"I…think Guildmaster Wigglytuff's been there before." Carlos finally said.

"What?! That's impossible!" Chatot argued. "Why would the Guildmaster send you to a place he's already been?"

"Maybe he forgot about it. Just ask him, Chatot." Carlos pleaded.

"Oh…fine. I don't know why you'd want to spoil your own discovery, but…" Chatot entered Wigglytuff's room, closing the door behind him.

Team Legend turned to their leader. "What makes you say that, Carlos?" Sandra asked.

"In my visions at the waterfall, I saw a figure both jump through the waterfall and trigger the trap. That's how I knew those things would happen." Carlos replied. "Lucar, you brought up a good point. My other visions were of the future. If Chatot says what I think he'll say, these visions were of the past."

"So, you can see the past _and_ the future?" Joy asked.

Carlos nodded. "I guess so."

The Guildmaster's door opened and Chatot hopped out, frowning. "I don't know how you knew…but you were right. The Guildmaster thought it over and realized that he indeed had already been there. How did you know, though?"

"Just a gut feeling," Carlos said.

"Well, at least you still get the 1000 poke reward for capturing that Banette." Chatot sighed. "Go eat dinner and then get some rest. You must all be exhausted."

Team Legend nodded, taking the money before heading to dinner. After they ate, the team of five returned to their room for a good night's sleep. Too bad it would be interrupted.

"Hey, wake up!" Chatot nudged Carlos. "The Guildmaster wishes to speak with you. Get up!"

"Ugh…Chatot, we're tired!" Carlos complained, rolling over. "Can't this wait?"

"I'm afraid the Guildmaster won't take 'no' for an answer. Now get up before I bring Loudred in here." Chatot threatened.

"Okay, okay! No need to bring him into this!" Carlos groaned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"Good! Wake your teammates and come to the Guildmaster's chambers." Chatot turned and left, poking his head back in moments later. "If you're not there in five minutes, I'll have Loudred wake you up."

"Okay," Carlos nodded.

Once Chatot left, the Pikachu woke up his four teammates and explained the situation. Half asleep and annoyed at being woken up, Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra left for Wigglytuff's room to see what he wanted. Joy and Michael stayed behind, fast asleep.


	15. Chapter 14: Team Skull Arrives

Seeing as this is basically an AU of PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness, many of the same Exploration Teams from there will make an appearance here. Team Raptors was proof of that. And since Team Moonlight from there has transported themselves ten years into the past from now, none of them will remember Shelly or Flare in the present but only as the famous heroes they were in the past.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the other Exploration Teams that appear in this story. Team Shell Shock belongs to KCSonic113, Team Shocker belongs to Lopunnu, Team Frostburn belongs to DR2334, and Team Fading Blade belongs to Yonaka Takai. Exploration Teams from many of my one-shots may also make minor appearances from time to time.

Chapter 14: Team Skull Arrives

Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar entered the Guildmaster's room, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and standing at attention. Chatot was standing off to the side, watching the recruits. Wigglytuff smiled and stood up, approaching the Exploration Team.

"Hello, friendly friends!" Wigglytuff cried. "I'm sorry to wake you up so late but I have a very important announcement for you. We're going on an expedition soon and I'm nominating you guys to go with us!"

"An expedition?" Carlos repeated.

"Yep! We've never taken rookies with us before but, since you've done such a good job lately, I've decided to make an exception." Wigglytuff said.

"Wow!" Sandra cried. "I can't believe this!"

"Thanks, Guildmaster Wigglytuff!" Lucar said, bowing in joy. "You won't regret picking us!"

"Now, now! Hold on a minute!" Chatot snapped. "You haven't been picked yet, so don't go celebrating. You've been _nominated_. You'll have to keep up the good work you've been doing in order to be chosen and even then, you'll have to compete with the other Guild members for a spot. We can only take so many, you know."

"Oh…right." Lucar muttered. "Sorry."

"We'll be giving this same announcement to the rest of the Guild tomorrow morning. Keep up the good work and you may end up joining us. Slack off and you'll be stuck here for the whole time." Chatot threatened.

"Yes, sir!" Carlos nodded. "We'll do our best."

"I should hope so." Chatot said. "The only reason you've even been nominated is because of your captures of Drowzee and Dusk the Banette. If those hadn't occurred, we wouldn't even be considering you."

"Yeah," Sandra agreed. _Then I guess we're lucky. We're the first rookies to be able to go on an expedition this early in our careers. Wow…_ The Eevee's tail wagged with joy at the thought of them going on the expedition.

_/As we'd later find out, we weren't the first rookies to be brought along on an expedition. We were actually the second in the Wigglytuff Guild's history to achieve that. An expedition is a chance for Exploration Teams to truly shine. You can count yourself lucky if you're picked to go. I know we did./_

"Now then, that's all we have to tell you. Now go back to your rooms and get some more sleep. You still have work to do tomorrow." Chatot ordered.

"Right!" Carlos said. "Let's go, guys."

Team Legend headed back to their room, yawning. Once they got back, the trio collapsed into their beds. While Lucar and Sandra fell asleep instantly, Carlos stayed up for a bit longer. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong, almost like he wasn't supposed to be doing this. Like someone else was supposed to…

The Pikachu rolled over. _What's the matter with me?_ he thought. _Where did this sudden feeling come from? This is so…weird._

Shrugging off the strange feeling, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. In his dreams, he saw a Raichu and a Ninetales wandering through a strange tunnel covered in ancient writing and pictures of Legendary Pokemon. They were nearing an altar that seemed to draw Carlos to it. Something about it called him…

"WAKE UP!! IT'S MORNING!!"

Carlos jolted awake, the image of the two Pokemon and the altar faded from his mind. Sitting up, he glared at Loudred's retreating back before turning his attention to his teammates. His dream was soon forgotten as he remembered what Guildmaster Wigglytuff told them last night.

Joy groaned, rocking the crying Michael in her arms. "I'm seriously going to kill Loudred one day. Doesn't he know that baby's are sound-sensitive?"

"Probably not," Lucar replied, sitting up.

Carlos stood up, shaking Sandra awake. "We better go hear that announcement, guys." he reminded.

"The expedition!" Sandra cried. "I almost forgot about it!"

"Let's go, then!" Joy said.

After calming the baby Minun down, Team Legend headed into the main room and listened to Chatot give the rest of the guild the same announcement he gave them. Only, this time, he gave them more information about where they were going and when.

"We're planning an expedition to a mysterious lake to the far east. It holds many mysteries that I'm certain we can uncover." Chatot explained. "We will be departing in several days. As usual, we will be picking members to join the Guildmaster and I from all of you. We'll choose the most worthy apprentices over the next few days. Work hard and pray you get picked!"

"Oh my gosh! There hasn't been an expedition in a long time!" Sunflora cried.

"I hope I can go this time. I haven't gotten to go on one yet. No siree!" Bidoof said.

"Let's all work hard so we get picked!" Loudred declared.

"Yeah!" Sandra nodded. "No hard feelings for whoever doesn't get picked."

"Agreed!" Chimecho said. "Good luck to all! Let's remain friends no matter what the outcome."

"Well said, Chimecho! That's all I have to say. Back to work, as usual!" Chatot ordered.

"HOORAY!!" everyone cheered before dispersing.

Carlos turned to Joy, looking at Michael. "I don't think it's safe to take him with us this time, Joy. He got lucky with Dusk. That won't always happen."

"I know. I'll stay here and care for him." Joy said. "Good luck."

"You, too," Lucar replied.

The Raichu turned and headed back to Team Legend's room, carrying Michael in her arms. Carlos sighed before leading his remaining two teammates up the ladder to pick up missions to do.

_/It would be quite a while before Michael actually got to join us on a proper mission. Joy would join us occasionally but she's mostly devoted to caring for Michael. Being a parent is a full-time job, you know. And this wouldn't be the first time we'd have babies on the team./_

"We have to do a lot of missions if we want to get picked for the expedition party." Sandra said. "Let's do our very best, guys!"

"Yeah," Lucar nodded. Then he turned, sensing something familiar. "That's odd."

"What is?" Carlos asked.

"Who's over there by the Job Bulletin Board? Their auras' seem…familiar somehow." Lucar said. The Riolu silently cursed his blindness.

Sandra and Carlos turned toward the bulletin board and saw a Zubat and a Koffing looking through the missions. They were muttering about how little money they would earn from doing the jobs. Zubat cried out in frustration and flapped away from the board…only to crash straight into Sandra!

"Whoa!" Zubat quickly flew backward. "Hey! It's you again!"

"You? Who's 'you'?" Koffing asked, floating beside the bat. When he saw who it was, he backed up. "What're you three doing here?!"

"Sandra, are you all right?" Carlos asked, helping the Eevee up.

"Yeah, I think so. He hit me pretty hard but it was an accident." Sandra said. Then she looked up at the duo. "Are you okay, Zubat?"

"Zubat?!" Lucar yelped. "The one who stole your Relic Fragment back at Beach Cave? _That_ Zubat?!"

"Stole me Relic…?!" Sandra gasped, jumping to her feet. "Yeah, it's them! What're you two doing here?!"

"We asked first!" Zubat declared.

"Fine!" Carlos growled. "We're going to pick out a mission or two for today's job. We've been doing that everyday since we got here."

"Mission? You're an Exploration Team?!" Koffing demanded.

"Yeah! You have a problem with that?" Sandra asked.

Zubat and Koffing looked at each other in shock. The bat-like Pokemon suddenly flapped beside Sandra. "You come with us for a sec, okay?"

"Huh? What?" Sandra yelped as she was shoved from her teammates.

Koffing and Zubat placed themselves between her and Team Legend. "I don't know how long you've been here but let me tell you something. This isn't the best place for someone like you." Zubat said.

"What?" Sandra whimpered. "Why?"

"Sure, this seems easy at first but it gets real hard real fast." Koffing said. "I'm guessing you've been rescuing Pokemon and delivering items, maybe escorting a Pokemon or two."

"We've already taken out three criminals!" Sandra argued.

"Yeah, but what rank were they? D, E, maybe the occasional C? There are higher ranks than that and you'll be expected to take them sooner or later." Zubat explained. "If you think you can just stick to the weaker missions, then you don't know anything. This place has high expectations and a chicken like you can't even hope to achieve them. Admit it, you're nothing like your big sister."

"And look at that! Even she vanished on a mission!" Koffing added.

"The truth is, kiddo, we seem mean but we're just trying to show you the real picture." Zubat said. "You're better off leaving right now and going back to playing on that beach. If you stick around too long, you won't be allowed to leave. Get out while you can."

"I…I…" Sandra shook her head and pounced, shoving past the pair and landing beside her teammates. She turned and glared at them. "I don't care! I came here so I wouldn't be a chicken anymore! Life here's been great, if anything! And I have friends now. Why would I want to go back to being a friendless coward?"

Lucar could sense a bit of fear appearing in Zubat and Koffing's auras. He decided to make them a bit more afraid. "We're not the same as before, you know. We've gotten stronger with all the missions we've done."

"Yeah, and we're just going to get stronger." Carlos added. "Even now, we're working hard to be chosen to go on the Guild's expedition."

"Expedition?" Koffing repeated. "That's news."

"Well, effort will only get you so far in life. It's nothing compared to talent, though." Zubat said. "Oh! Smell that, Koffing?"

"Yep! Looks like the Chief's coming!" Koffing laughed. "If the Chief had been with us in Beach Cave, we would've wiped the floor with you guys!"

"I don't think so. You guys are just a bunch of thugs! You're nothing compared to an Exploration Team!" Sandra cried.

"Oh, the irony! Guess what? We _are_ an Exploration Team!" Zubat snapped. "We're Team Skull and we're led by our Chief…who you'll meet in just a sec!"

"They're an Exploration Team, too?!" Sandra yelped.

"How did they manage that? With all they've done, they're no better than the criminals we're fighting!" Carlos growled.

Lucar looked up the ladder and suddenly caught a whiff of something foul. "Ugh…Incoming!" he cried, racing away from the ladder.

_/This next guy would be the cause of a lot of problems in the future for our team. Team Skull, on a scale of one to ten in terms of how bad they were, ranked at least a 5 or a 6. They're not totally bad, though. But they definitely earned themselves a place as a constant thorn in our sides. A smelly thorn, at that. Ugh…/_

A large purple and white skunk clambered down the ladder and turned, facing Carlos. He growled. "Move it, wimp!" he barked.

Before the Pikachu could react, Skuntank turned a blasted him with a ball of gas. Carlos yelped, the force of it sending him crashing into the far wall. The gas cloud drifted toward Sunflora, Chimecho, Corphish, and Bidoof near the Outlaw Bulletin Board. Lucar quickly dashed toward the fallen Pikachu.

"Ugh! What's that smell?!" Chimecho cried.

"Eek! It smells like rotten garbage!" Sunflora replied, clapping her leaves over her face. "Oh my gosh! I'm getting out of here!" She ran down the ladder to the floor below, Chimecho at her heels.

"Hey, hey, hey! Me, too! My eyes are burning!" Corphish called, scuttling after the two girls.

"Hey, wait for me! I didn't do it! No sirree!" Bidoof ran after them, leaving Team Legend behind to deal with the trio.

Satisfied with his work, Skuntank walked toward Zubat and Koffing. Sandra was paralyzed with fear as the skunk-like Pokemon stopped, glaring at her. The Eevee couldn't move.

"Move it! Or do you want to end up like your mouse friend over there?" Skuntank threatened.

"N-n-no, sir!" Sandra quickly dashed out of his way, running toward her teammates.

"Carlos, are you okay?" Lucar asked. "Say something!"

"Ugh…I think so. What hit me?" Carlos asked. His nose twitched and he gagged. "Yuck! I smell _terrible_!"

"Yeah, we know!" Lucar nodded, covering his nose.

Skuntank smirked before turning to his two teammates. "You find anything?" he asked.

"Nope! Just missions only weaklings would take!" Koffing replied. "Barely enough money combined to get a couple of Oran Berries. They aren't worth our time, Chief!"

"Oh, really? I should've known. This place's got nothing!" Skuntank complained.

"Oh, but it does have something. The chickens over there mentioned it, Chief." Zubat said.

"Well, spit it out!" Skuntank ordered.

Zubat flapped over and whispered something into Skuntank's ear. Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra look at each other in fear. Zubat must've meant the expedition! Zubat soon backed up, smirking. Skuntank laughed happily.

"Chaw haw haw! Excellent! We'll focus on that then!" Skuntank declared. "Come on, you two! We've got plotting to do!"

"Yes, sir!" Zubat and Koffing cried.

Skuntank turned and climbed up the ladder, followed by Zubat and Koffing. Once Team Skull was gone, Lucar helped Carlos to his feet. The entire room stunk of rotten eggs and Carlos was beginning to feel ill.

"Ugh…" Carlos leaned against the blind Riolu. "Man, I feel sick."

"Maybe we should go down to the beach and clean you up." Sandra suggested. "Then we can just stay home."

"Don't shirk work." Carlos reminded. "Lucar and I will head for the beach. You grab a mission that you think would be good for us to do. We have to do our best to get on that expedition party, remember?"

"Right," Lucar nodded.

Lucar and Carlos climbed up the stairs, leaving the Guild behind and heading for the beach. Sandra hopped up to the Bulletin Board and scanned the mission, finding an escort mission through a new mystery dungeon. Grabbing it, she climbed up the ladder and raced to the beach.

Once she stepped onto the sandy shore, she nearly burst out laughing. Carlos was diving into the water like a Buizel, trying desperately to get rid of the stinky scent that clung to his yellow fur. Lucar was on the shore, rolling on the sand as he laughed. The Eevee soon joined him, laughing.

"Shut up! You guys didn't get sprayed by that dumb skunk!" Carlos cried, rubbing a piece of seaweed across his fur.

"S-s-sorry, C-Carlos!" Lucar wheezed, still laughing.

Carlos grumbled and continued to rub his fur with seaweed and dive into the ocean. After a good hour or so of diving and scrubbing himself, the Pikachu declared himself clean. A good sniff from Sandra confirmed that a good majority of the scent was gone, but he still smelled a bit.

"Did you get us a mission, Sandra?" Lucar asked.

"Yeah!" The Eevee placed the piece of paper in front of them. "It's an escort mission through Lush Prairie. We have to get a Paras through all six floors. The reward is 6000 poke, or 600 poke for us."

"Lush Prairie? Is that a new mystery dungeon?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, it is." Sandra nodded. "It's full of Bug-type Pokemon, so we should be able to beat them. They're all around Levels 11 to 17, those being the pesky Exeggcute. We're all almost to Level 20 ourselves, so this should be a piece of cake."

"Then let's go find Paras and get moving!" Carlos cried.

The trio headed back to Treasure Town and located Paras, who was waiting patiently at the crossroads for them. "You're the ones who accepted my mission? Thank you! Let's have fun exploring, okay?" Paras asked.

"Sure! Let's go!" Carlos agreed.

Team Legend and Paras headed for Lush Prairie, ready to start their third escort mission. The first floor passed by quickly since Carlos took out any Skiploom and Burmy they encountered. They didn't bother the Silcoon or Cascoon since they couldn't attack them unless the cocoon Pokemon was within a close enough range.

The second floor caused them trouble when Sandra got cornered by a pair of Beautifly. Lucar used Force Palm on one while the other dodged it, striking him from behind with Gust. The two Beautifly then double-teamed to try and take Paras out. Carlos managed to electrocute them both, getting poisoned in the process by Poison Sting.

On the third floor, the fog that shrouded the floor lowered their visibility. They also came across their first Exeggcute and it was just as hard to beat as Sandra said. It nearly knocked Paras out and put Lucar to sleep with Hypnosis, hitting him hard with Barrage. Carlos managed to learn Double Team and distracted it long enough for Sandra to knock it out with Shadow Ball. Carlos gave Paras one of their Oran Berries and moved onward, carrying the Riolu until he woke up.

The fourth floor held few enemy Pokemon but had a lot of useful items that Carlos was quick to pick up and put in the Treasure Bag. Not only did they find the usual money, Oran Berries, and Blast Seeds but they also found Apples and a variety of orbs, including a pair of Escape Orbs. Upon finding the stairs, Carlos knocked out the lone Cascoon with Quick Attack and they moved onward.

The fifth floor was also quickly navigated through, but getting to the stairs wasn't easy. It was in a big room that contained a pair of Silcoon, a Skiploom, and a Yanma. The first three were easily defeated but Yanma proved hard to attack with its Speed Boost ability. It kept dodging Sandra's Shadow Balls and Carlos' Thundershocks, striking back with Quick Attack and Sonic Boom.

"Ugh…" Lucar dragged himself to his feet after being hit with Sonic Boom. "How do we catch this guy?!"

Carlos took a deep breath and tried to focus. _Come on! This can't be too hard! I beat a Yanmega, for Arceus' sake! This guy should be easy! I just got to catch him…_

The Yanma moved in to strike Paras again when Carlos crashed into it with Quick Attack. Stunned, the dragonfly-like Pokemon flapped his wings desperately to stay airborne. Seeing his chance, Paras launched a Stun Spore and successfully paralyzed it. Carlos took it out with a final Thundershock, allowing them safe passage to the last floor.

Once they reached the sixth floor, Paras thanked them before being sent back by Team Legend's badge. Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar headed toward the back of the room, spotting something shiny glinting in the darkness. Two boxes of pure gold sat there, as if waiting for them this whole time.

"Whoa!" Carlos cried. "What are those? Treasure?"

"No, but close enough. Those must be Deluxe Boxes! My big sister told me about them." Sandra explained, bounding toward the two boxes. "When you open them, you'll find a treasure inside. Sometimes it's rare, sometimes it's not."

"Well, let's see what we can get." Lucar said, stepping forward until he felt one of the boxes in front of him. "Let's open them!"

"Yeah!" Carlos nodded.

As one, the trio opened the boxes to reveal a Reviver Seed and a Yellow Gummi. Picking them up, Carlos placed the seed into the Treasure Bag but stopped at the Yellow Gummi. He recognized it!

"Didn't we get one of these before?" the Pikachu asked.

"Yeah, I think so. That means we have two now." Sandra said. "Why?"

"What do Gummis do, anyway?" Carlos asked, digging through the bag in search of the other Yellow Gummi.

"If you eat them, they make you smarter. Sometimes you can learn special abilities if you eat enough Gummis." Lucar replied.

"Gah! I can't find it!" Carlos cried.

"What?! Do you think that…maybe you ate it at some point?" Sandra asked. "Yellow Gummis are good for Electric-types, after all. Maybe you ate it by mistake."

"…Yanmega…" Carlos whispered. "I must've eaten it when we battled him. That explains how I beat him. Should I…eat this one, too?"

"If you want to," Sandra said. "They don't have any other purpose aside from being eaten."

"Okay then!" Carlos popped the Yellow Gummi into his mouth. "Yum! That tasted great!"

"Now that the mission's done, let's go. It should be getting late." Lucar reminded.

"Right!" Carlos cried.

As Team Legend teleported back to Wigglytuff's Guild with their badges, they never noticed the pair of eyes watching them from the shadows of a nearby bush. "An Exploration Team? Should I…?" The figure smiled. "This is going to be fun. Now I just have to find a way to make this work." The figure slunk away, preparing its devious plan.


	16. Chapter 15: A Watery Grave

Just because I have a feeling I'll be asked about this, the traps in Serenity River won't actually appear until after Amp Plains. Any dungeon that Team Legend visits before then that has traps will be treated as if they're a normal dungeon. After Amp Plains, the traps will appear in those dungeons as they normally would. Just warning you so you know. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 15: A Watery Grave

"WAKE UP!! IT'S MORNING!!"

Carlos groaned, sitting up and yawning. Shaking his head, he woke his teammates up and headed for the main room, leaving Joy and Michael behind to sleep. Once they got there, Carlos felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was up.

"I have an announcement about the expedition party." Chatot said. "As the Guildmaster and I decide on who shall accompany us, we have an expert Exploration Team joining us. Since having them join us directly on the expedition would possibly cause conflict between you and them, I've decided that they will stay with us for a few days to get used to our routine and their possible traveling companions."

"Oh my gosh! Experts? I hope it's Team Raptors! They're the best, third only to Team Moonlight and Team Raiders!" Sunflora cried.

"Sunflora, calm down!" Chimecho giggled. "I wonder if it's Team Charm? Ooh, I'd be so excited if it was them!"

Chatot turned to the ladder. "You may come downstairs now!" he called.

Instead of a group of Pokemon, a cloud of familiar-looking green gas came down the ladder and drifted toward the rookies. Everyone instantly gagged, coughing and sputtering as the foul scent filled the room. Team Legend look at each other in horror.

"No way… It can't be!" Carlos cried.

"It is," Lucar whimpered. "It's their aura, all right."

Sandra growled. "Team Skull,"

"Chaw haw haw!" Skuntank climbed down the ladder, followed by Zubat and Koffing. "Hey there!"

"What are you guys doing here?!" Carlos demanded.

"Why, we're joining your little expedition party. Have a problem with that?" Skuntank asked. "We want to lend a hand to friends in need. You're going on an expedition and might need a bit of help. We're so happy you chose to let us join you."

"So happy, my tail!" Carlos growled.

"Uh…do you happen to know each other?" Chatot asked, tensing the growing tension between the two Exploration Teams.

"Yeah, we know them! They stole—" Lucar started, only to be cut off by Skuntank.

"Of course we know each other. We have a bit of a rivalry and they're just bitter because we keep winning." Skuntank said. "That's what happens when weaker teams challenge more experienced teams. Don't mind them at all."

"Well, all right." Chatot nodded. "Now that that's been settled, it's time to get back to work!"

The rookies look at each other before half-heartedly muttering, "Hooray?"

Chatot blinked in shock. "My, what's the matter with you all of a sudden? Where's your early morning spirit?" he asked.

"How can we be CHEERFUL when this whole thing STINKS?!" Loudred cried. "In more ways than ONE, too!"

"I'm suddenly not feeling so good about going on that expedition anymore. No siree." Bidoof whimpered.

"Can't you see that those guys are good-for-nothing thugs?!" Carlos demanded.

"Like I said, he likes to be dramatic. We're the so-called 'bad guys' in our little rivalry. Don't mind him at all, him or his friends. They're all like that." Skuntank said.

"Not true! You guys really are ba—WHOA!!" Sandra stumbled as the ground began to shake.

In seconds, the whole Guild was shaking. Bidoof and Sunflora declared it an earthquake and tried to hide. Skuntank and his teammates backed up again the walls, suddenly very afraid. Carlos caught Sandra and clutched her close, grabbing Lucar's arm in the process. The shaking intensified.

"Chatot! What's happening?!" Sandra cried, digging her face into Carlos' fur.

"It's the Guildmaster! His rage is building because you aren't being cheerful!" Chatot replied, flapping desperately. "Everyone, be cheerful! Before the Guildmaster brings this whole place down on us! It's time to get back to work!"

"Hooray!" Sandra cried.

"It's time to get back to work!" Chatot repeated.

"Hooray!" Team Legend cried.

"Everyone! It's time to get back to work!" Chatot cried.

"HOORAY!!" everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.

The shaking suddenly stopped and Wigglytuff smiled. Terrified, Team Skull and many of the rookies quickly fled to 'get back to work' in order to escape the Guildmaster. Lucar, Carlos, and Sandra stared at each other in shock. Chatot sighed in relief and landed on the ground.

"Remind me never to make Wigglytuff angry…ever." Carlos pleaded.

"Deal!" Sandra nodded.

_/This wouldn't be the first time we'd ever see Wigglytuff get angry. We'd actually see it happen a lot in the future! There's a lot of mystery concerning Guildmaster Wigglytuff. As we'd get stronger and our adventures more dangerous, we'd learn more about him and the rest of the guild./_

"Me, too," Lucar added. "I'll check on Joy and Michael. You guys grab a mission. I'll be there in a second."

The blind Riolu ran down the hall toward their room, already hearing the baby Minun's crying. Carlos and Sandra quickly climbed the ladder and headed for the Bulletin Board, avoiding Team Skull as they glared at the other rookies from across the room. Finding a good mission, they waited for Lucar to catch up.

Lucar climbed the ladder and dashed up to them. "Joy and Michael felt the shaking, too. She's taking care of Michael and wished us luck. Did you find anything?" he asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "It's a mission to a place called Serenity River. We have to escort a Nincada to the eighth floor for 500 poke and a Pecha Berry. It's worth 30 points, putting our total at 70 points."

"Let's do it then." Sandra said.

"Yeah," Lucar agreed.

Climbing up the ladder, Team Legend headed to Treasure Town to drop off their money and any extra items. Carlos chose to keep the Reviver Seed in case anything happened in the dungeon. Returning to the crossroads, they found the Nincada waiting for them.

"Thank you for accepting my mission!" he cried, wings twitching. "This is going to be great!"

"I hope so, Nincada. Let's go!" Carlos cried.

The four Pokemon took off, arriving at Serenity River around noon. Entering the mystery dungeon, Carlos was shocked to realize they would be walking through water throughout the whole mission. Lucar hardly cared, moving onward…only to crash into a wall made of tall reeds. After a bit of laughter, the group set off.

Almost right away, a Wooper ambushed them. A single Thundershock from Carlos drove it backward while Nincada tossed in Scratch, taking it down. After a while of peaceful walking, a Barboach tossed mud at Lucar. The blind Riolu struck it with Force Palm and Sandra unleashed a Shadow Ball, defeating it. Upon locating the stairs, they also found something else.

"What's this?" Carlos asked, picking up one of the three brown twigs in front of him.

"Those are Sticks, Carlos. You can throw them at enemies to distract them or cause damage if you find yourself unable to attack." Sandra explained. "They're pretty useful against enemies that are a short distance away from you."

"Wow! These might be useful later!" The Pikachu scooped up the three Sticks, depositing them into the Treasure Bag. "There's so much to learn about this place still."

"Well, there's no such thing as too much knowledge, Carlos." Lucar said.

"Hey, there's the stairs! Second floor, here we come!" Nincada cried, racing up them. "Come on, Team Legend! We've got more exploring to do!"

"We're coming! Wait up!" Carlos shouted, following him.

As Sandra and Lucar vanished up the stairs to the second floor, a pair of icy blue eyes glared out from the reeds. "Too much knowledge, eh? Stupid brats…" The figure vanished, slinking up the stairs to pursue its targets.

_/This figure would be causing us quite a lot of trouble in the near future. Trouble, as in nearly killing one of us. And add in the fact that trickery is their strong point and that they follow the commands of one of our enemies. Who, you ask? You'll just have to guess./_

On the second floor, Carlos and Sandra took down a trio of Poliwag that attempted to overwhelm them. Only moments later, Nincada cried out as a Lotad crashed into him. Lucar smashed it into the reeds with Quick Attack, saving the Bug/Ground-type from taking too much damage.

On the third floor, the downpour began. Sandra instantly complained as her fur got soaked. Carlos offered her the Treasure Bag as a makeshift umbrella. The Eevee accepted, shielding herself from the rain with the bag.

"Why is it raining in a mystery dungeon? I can understand the fog from Lush Prairie but this is ridiculous!" Carlos cried.

"The weather is known to change in these places. It's something else explorers had to adapt to when they first came into these places. Nobody knows what causes it." Lucar said.

"Stupid rain!" Carlos growled.

After defeating a pair of Barboach and a Lotad, they found the stairs and headed for the fourth floor. The weather changed instantly to cloudy, much to Carlos' joy. Along with defeating enemy Pokemon, Carlos picked up a few Pecha Berries, a Cheri Berry, a Max Elixir, and four more Sticks.

It was cloudy on the fifth floor, too. The group encountered their first Masquerain, who attacked them with Ominous Wind and Bubble. Carlos and Lucar attacked it, leaving Sandra to guard Nincada. The Masquerain was fast, dodging Lucar's Force Palm with ease and weaving through Carlos' Thundershock. Growing frustrated, the Pikachu used Double Team and then Thundershock to nearly knock it out. Nincada used Leech Life to restore some of his own health, leaving Lucar to Force Palm it unconscious.

On the sixth floor, a thick fog suddenly rolled in. Lucar, Sandra, and Carlos fell into a triangle formation around Nincada to protect him from harm. They traveled quietly through most of the floor, even picking up a few more items along the way. Just before spotting the stairs, a pair of Wooper cut them off through the deep water and attacked.

"Geez! These guys just don't give up, do they?" Carlos growled. "Quick Attack!"

One Wooper stumbled backward, only to be knocked out by a combination of Nincada's Leech Life and Sandra's Shadow Ball. Carlos electrocuted the second, only to have the damage halved since it was part Ground-type. Lucar used Force Palm, knocking it down and ending it with Quick Attack. Free at last, they climbed the stairs to the seventh floor.

The fog seemed even thicker on the seventh floor, making the strange silence stand out even more. Keeping in formation, the group continued onward. Suddenly aware of every sound, the group became more frightened the further they walked. It was almost as if all the enemy Pokemon had…vanished.

"I don't like this." Sandra whimpered. "It's too quiet!"

"I know." Carlos said. "Let's just find the stairs and get out of here."

Lucar's ears twitched. "There's someone ahead," he reported. "Someone that's not supposed to be here."

_/Eerie silences in a place that supposed to be noisy are never a good sign. We should've turned back right then and there. It would've saved us quite a bit of trouble. But this is the past and I can't change that. I can only tell you what happened…even if I don't like it very much./_

Continuing onward, they entered a large room. And on the other side of the room…was the stairs to the final floor. Overjoyed, Nincada leapt forward…only to be held back by Lucar. The Riolu growled, tensed.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked softly. "Is something there?"

"Yeah," Lucar nodded. "I'll check it out. If I think it's clear, run to the stairs."

"Okay," Sandra said. "Be careful."

"I'll try," Lucar promised.

The blind Riolu hesitantly entered the foggy room, becoming only a dark silhouette to his companions. Every step brought him closer and closer to the stairs, but Lucar wasn't focused on them. He was trying to locate the aura. Whoever it was definitely knew how to hide themselves well from aura-sensors like him.

Since finding it wasn't working, he decided to try a new tactic. "Whoever you are, come out right now!" he shouted.

The fog shifted slightly but nothing else changed. The aura didn't move from wherever it was hidden at. Looking around, Lucar still couldn't find it. At one point, he nearly tripped as he located the stairs. Stepping away from them, he continued his search. It he hadn't been blind, he would've seen the reflection of a dark figure clinging to the ceiling of the room.

Growling, Lucar slowly turned back to the entrance of the room. The aura hadn't done anything, so maybe it was harmless. At least, he really hoped it was. But something was nagging him. Why was the aura so familiar?

"Curse my bad memory," he growled. "Okay, guys! I think it's sa—AAAAH!"

The dark figure on the ceiling released its grip, landing directly on top of Lucar. At the room entrance, Sandra cried out in fear and Nincada quickly hid behind her. Carlos stared in shock before coming to his senses.

"Lucar!" he cried, racing into the fog.

"Carlos! Wa—" Sandra started, only to be cut off by Carlos.

"Stay there! Protect Nincada!" Carlos ordered.

Sandra just stood there, frozen in terror. Lucar and Carlos were in trouble and all she could do was sit and wait for them to come back. _Why?_ the Eevee thought. _Why am I so…useless?_

_/Yep, you heard me. Useless. I felt useless in that situation and I'd feel that way in future situations, too. It's a feeling everyone gets, even in situations where it's not really true. It's natural. You just have to remind yourself of the usefulness you do have. But I know that for some people, that just isn't enough…/_

Carlos ran toward the silhouettes of Lucar and the figure, sparks shooting from his red cheeks. Suddenly afraid of hurting Lucar with his attack, he reached into the Treasure Bag and pulled out one of the seven Sticks he'd found. Remembering Sandra's words about hitting long-distance opponents, he threw it as hard as he could.

"Let him go!" Carlos shouted.

The figure winced as the stick collided with his shoulder and glared into the fog, spotting the silhouette of the Pikachu. Smirking, he stood up straight and kept one foot on the struggling Riolu. He lifted his left hand, his claw glowing bright purple.

Carlos grabbed another Stick and threw it. The figure smacked it out of the air with his claw, breaking the twig cleanly in half. Carlos finally got close enough to make out the figure's features and skidded to a stop. Fear hit him hard.

"Y-y-you! W-what are you doing here?!" Carlos demanded.

"Oh, me? Just doing my job, baby." The figure smirked. "You brats just happen to have gotten in my way…again!"

Before Carlos could respond, something crashed into him from above. Sharp talons dug into his back, drawing blood. The Pikachu managed to twist his head enough to see what hit him. An all-too-familiar Staraptor glared down at him.

"Hey, brat! Nice meeting you again! Don't say you forgot about us?" the Staraptor cried.

Carlos looked at the figure and growled. "Thrax…"

The Toxicroak smirked, waving fog out of his face. "Bingo, baby! Glad to see you missed me." he laughed.

"What do you want?" Carlos demanded.

"Nothing from you, of course. We just decided to…drop in." Thrax said. "Is that so bad?"

Carlos tried to wiggle free, only to have Raptor the Staraptor press down on his back. The Pikachu coughed, the water nearly reaching his chin. Any further and he could drown! Lucar seemed to be having the same problem, trying to keep his head above the water with his paws.

"Anyhow, since you asked, I may as well give you an answer." Thrax continued. "I'm here in search of a runaway Piplup called Luv. Have you seen her?"

"No," Carlos replied. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!"

"He's just as cocky as last time, boss!" Raptor growled.

"Maybe even cockier," Thrax added. Turning toward the stairs, he frowned. "Get out here, brat! Or will I be forced to show you a little more pain?"

A silhouette slowly emerged, stepping closer to the group. Then appeared…the black Pikachu! He quietly walked to Thrax's side and blinked curiously at Carlos. Carlos glared back at him.

"You…from the beach," the black Pikachu said.

"So the reports were true. You really are one of Thrax's goons!" Carlos cried.

The black Pikachu flinched. "Goon?" he repeated.

"Ignore him, brat." Thrax ordered. "Now then, where's that Eevee from before? I know she's still with you on your pathetic excuse for an Exploration Team."

"Sandra? She's…not here." Carlos lied. "Lucar and I took this mission on our own. She's back at Wigglytuff's Guild, where you can _never_ get your hands on her!"

"Yeah!" Lucar quickly agreed. _Good thinking, Carlos! Great Arceus, I just wish that lie was true. What's Thrax going to do to us this time?!_

Thrax snorted. "You liars!" he accused. "But don't worry. I know a good way to get you to talk. Raptor, hand me that mouse and you take the puppy."

"Okay, boss!" Raptor nodded, smirking.

The Flying-type let Carlos up, only for the Pikachu to be snatched up by Thrax. Raptor placed his foot firmly on Lucar's back, keeping him pinned to the watery ground. The black Pikachu just stood there, watching as Thrax carried Carlos to the edge of the room where there was a deep water path commonly used by the mystery dungeon's inhabitants.

Thrax held Carlos by his throat over the deep water. "I'll give you one last chance to answer my question before I hurt you, baby. Where's the Eevee?" he asked, his tone daring Carlos to lie again.

Carlos frowned. "I told you once with the Piplup and I'll say it now. I'm not going to tell you!" he cried. "Do whatever you want to me but I'll never betray my friends! Ever!"

Thrax smile deviously. "Awww! How sweet!" he laughed. "Too bad it's wasted. Your life now rests in that puppy's hands. If he doesn't confess to where the Eevee is, you'll drown."

"What?!" Lucar cried.

"You heard me, baby. Your time starts…NOW!!" Thrax roared.

Carlos yelped as Thrax suddenly shoved him underwater, pinning him there by his throat. The Pikachu struggled, having very little air. _Lucar, you can't tell him!_ Slowly opening his eyes, he could see a hazy silhouette of Thrax above him. Carlos' lungs felt like they were caving in as his air grew thin. _Is this what…Sandra feels like? Is this why…she hates water so much?_

Above the water, Thrax smirked. "Better think fast, baby. Your friend doesn't have very long," the Toxicroak said, looking over his shoulder at Lucar. "Where is the Eevee?"

"I…I…" Lucar was mentally panicking. _What do I do? What do I do?! Carlos could die because of me! I can't let that happen! But I can't betray Sandra either! Arceus, why are you doing this to us?!_

"Better hurry, puppy!" Raptor laughed.

"I…I…I…" Lucar's throat squeezed shut, preventing him from speaking.

"Stop it!!" a young voice cried.

"What the?!" Raptor turned toward the voice, only to be pelted with bubbles. "Boss! She's here! That Piplup!"

"What?!" Thrax released Carlos and stood up, facing the direction of the attack. "Come out, Luv! I've finally found you!"

"No, Thrax. You haven't found me. If anything…" the Piplup replied. She raised her foot. "You've lost me! Earthquake!"

She stomped the ground, causing a huge tremor. Raptor yelped, quickly becoming airborne to dodge the attack. Thrax and the black Pikachu were sent crashing to the floor, setting Lucar loose. As the Riolu sat up, he remembered Carlos and looked toward the water. He was sinking!

"I'll get him!" the Piplup cried. "You get your friends by the door!"

"Okay!" Lucar nodded, running toward the entrance.

Underwater, Carlos sank until he hit the bottom. Bubbles burst from his mouth, the last of the Pikachu's air escaping from him. Carlos blinked his blurry vision, watching with an odd fascination as the bubbles floated toward the surface. He closed his eyes, tired.

_Is this what it's like?_ He thought. _Drowning? No wonder Sandra hates water. It takes its time killing you. How cruel… I'm sorry, Sandra. I guess you and Lucar have to make Team Legend great…without me._

Opening his eyes again, he noticed a silhouette swimming toward him. Once it got close, he realized it was a Piplup. Could it be the one Thrax was after? Or…was that an angel coming to bring him to heaven?

His vision darkened as the Piplup reached him, grabbing his hand in her flipper. "Hang on!" she cried.

_Too…tired…_ Carlos closed his eyes, falling unconscious as water poured freely into his lungs. He was drowning.


	17. Chapter 16: Luv's Request

I noticed that I originally called the Violet Bow a 'Violet Ribbon' in chapter 2. That's been fixed in this chapter. Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because I nitpick my own work and I'm obsessed. Enjoy!

Chapter 16: Luv's Request

"Carlos, wake up! Please!"

_Huh? Who…?_ Carlos slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey! He's awake!"

"Thank Arceus!"

The Pikachu's vision returned, revealing the two speakers to be Lucar and Sandra. The earlier events suddenly came back to him, causing Carlos to bolt upright. Lucar instantly pushed him back down.

"Carlos, you're hurt! You need to rest!" the blind Riolu cried.

"Thrax! Where is he?!" Carlos demanded.

"Luv and Snowflake are dealing with him!" Lucar replied.

"Snowflake?" Carlos repeated.

Before Lucar could explain, a huge explosion appeared in front of them. The thick fog prevented them from properly seeing the fight but it was clear Thrax was beginning to retreat. Luv smiled triumphantly, watching as the Toxicroak and his two goons fled. Turning, she headed back to the stairs with her companion.

"Ah, so your friend woke up. That's good." Luv said. "Thrax is gone now. We should head upstairs, though, just to be sure."

"Right," Lucar nodded. "Carlos, can you walk?"

"I think so." The Pikachu staggered to his feet and discovered that he'd been lying on the stairs the whole time. "What happened while I was out?"

"Thrax and I battled once I saved you." Luv explained. "When your Riolu friend brought your Eevee and Nincada friends to the stairs, we discovered that Thrax had captured another Pokemon before encountering you."

"Who?" Carlos asked.

"Me," a voice said. Out of the fog stepped a beautiful Glaceon. "My name is Snowflake. I don't know why Thrax captured me but I'm grateful to you for releasing me. I'm in your debt."

"Hello, Snowflake. I'm glad we could help you." Carlos replied. "Luv, thanks for saving me."

"No problem. Everyone needs saving every once in a while, right?" the Piplup said. "Anyway, let's get going. Thrax could come back any moment and we're in no condition to fight him again. I'll tell you everything that occurred once we're safe."

"Fine by me. Let's go!" Carlos cried.

Team Legend, Nincada, Luv, and Snowflake climbed the stairs to the last floor of Serenity River. Nincada, his mission completed, teleported back to the Guild. Lucar opened all three Deluxe Boxes to find two Reviver Seeds and a Heal Seed. Dropping them into the Treasure Bag, Carlos turned to Luv to hear what happened.

_/I have to admit that, despite her childish looks, she's a great storyteller. It's almost like Luv can recall any event and tell you about it in a way that makes you feel like you were actually there instead of just hearing someone telling you about it. Unfortunately, telling her life story gives you the same feeling…even though what you are hearing is tragic and tainted with blood./_

"Well, it was like this…" the Piplup started.

_Luv broke the surface of the water, dragging the unconscious Pikachu to shore. Lucar ran toward her, Sandra and Nincada at his heels. The Riolu quickly took Carlos from her and headed for the stairs._

"_Let's get out of here!" Lucar cried._

"_Yeah, we mu—AAAAH!!" Luv screamed._

_The Piplup crashed to the ground, multiple violet needles sticking out of her blue feathers. Thrax smirked and let off another Poison Sting, only to have them repelled by Sandra's Shadow Ball. Raptor and the black Pikachu appeared at the Toxicroak's side, ready to fight._

"_Well, if it isn't Lune's little sister. Nice to see you came out by yourself." Thrax said._

"_Where's David?!" Sandra demanded._

"_Don't worry, baby. He's quite fine where he is right now." Thrax said. "You'll be joining him soon, along with that Piplup! Poison Sting!"_

"_Quick Attack!" Lucar cried._

"_Bubble!" Luv shouted._

_The bubbles knocked the poisonous needles off course, allowing Lucar to get close enough to strike Thrax. Unfortunately, his goons wouldn't allow that. Raptor quick struck forward with an Aerial Ace, throwing the Fighting-type backward. Then the Staraptor took to the air, preparing a Whirlwind._

"_Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried._

_Staraptor smirked, allowing the attack to hit him. "Idiot! Ghost-type moves don't affect Normal-types!"_

"_Crud!" Sandra growled, cursing herself for forgetting that simple rule._

"_Whirlwind!" Raptor cried, flapping his wings viciously._

"_AAAAH!" Lucar was sent flying into a wall, crashing to the watery floor. "Ow…"_

"_Lucar!" Sandra cried. Then she heard something._

"_Help…please, help…anyone…"_

_The Eevee noticed a bag lying in the water near the black Pikachu. Ordering Nincada to watch over Carlos, Sandra charged toward the Pikachu. The black Pikachu blinked curiously._

"_What are you waiting for, brat? Attack her!" Thrax cried._

_The black Pikachu nodded. "Forgive me, miss," he said._

"_Huh? Whoa!"_

_Kit crashed to the ground, water going up her nose. Coughing and sputtering, the Eevee looked down at her paws and gasped. Thick grass had sprouted from the ground under the water and wrapped tightly around her paws. No matter how hard she tugged, she couldn't break loose._

"_Darn it!" Sandra cried. "Shadow—?!"_

_The black Pikachu was suddenly right in front of her. "Forgive me again, miss."_

"_Huh?" Sandra asked._

"_Focus…Punch!" the black Pikachu cried._

_The Pikachu punched Sandra as hard as he could, releasing her from the Grass Knot he'd used earlier. Sandra screamed, crashing to the ground. The bruise on her cheek ached and, upon touching it, she noticed she was cut and bleeding._

_Sandra glared at the black Pikachu. "Just who are you?" she asked. "You helped us on the beach and now you're fighting us. Why?"_

"_Because Thrax ordered me to," he replied. "I'm sorry but I must obey him. If I refuse, he'll only hurt me more. I don't like pain."_

_Before Sandra could say anything, the black Pikachu suddenly burrowed underground with Dig. Shocked at the strange moves he knew, Sandra backed away as she tried to figure out where he would surface. Water was pouring into the tunnel he had dug, so he'd have to come up soon._

_Spotting the ground cracking under her feet, the Eevee jumped aside just as the Pikachu burst out. Taking advantage of him being in midair, Sandra hit him with a Shadow Ball. He crashed to the ground, stunned. Sandra took her chance and dashed to the bag, opening it._

_A Glaceon quickly came out. "Thank you so much!" she cried._

"_No problem. But we're not free yet. We've still got to beat these guys." Sandra said._

"_Right!" the Glaceon nodded. "I'm Snowflake."_

"_Sandra," the Eevee replied._

_The black Pikachu struggled to his paws and faced the duo. "I give," he said, a blue glow enveloping him. Then he fell to the ground, fast asleep._

"_Who falls asleep on a battlefield?" Snowflake asked, a disgusted look on her face._

"_That's not normal sleep. He's using Rest." Sandra noted. "We've got a few minutes before he's back to full health and wakes up. Let's make use of it to take out the other two."_

"_Sure!" Snowflake nodded. "I'll aim for the bird."_

"_And I'll help Lucar take out Thrax." Sandra said._

"_Good luck!" Snowflake wished, racing toward Luv as she tried to take Raptor down. "Ice Shard!"_

_Raptor cawed in fright as he was hit with chunks of ice. Falling into the water, he struggled to get back up. Snowflake placed a paw on the back of his neck, preventing the Staraptor from getting up._

"_You lose," she growled._

"_Good job! Where did you come from?" Luv asked._

"_I was stuck in a sack. That Eevee let me out." Snowflake replied._

"_So Thrax captured you, too?" Luv asked._

"_Yeah, I guess. Don't know why, though." Snowflake shrugged. "What do we do with him?"_

"_Keep him there. We have to beat Thrax and we'll have won this fight." Luv said._

_Meanwhile, Lucar was facing off all alone against the criminal Toxicroak. "Force Palm!" Lucar cried, punching with all his might._

"_Idiot! Didn't you learn from before, baby? You mess with fire…" Thrax's left claw began to glow as he swiped with it, catching the Riolu in the chest. "You're gonna get burned! Poison Jab!!"_

"_GAAAH!" Lucar skidded backward, kicking up water as he struggled to stop. Once he recovered and managed to stay upright, he readied a second Force Palm._

"_Time to say good night, baby!" Thrax cried, charging. "Sucker Punch!"_

_Lucar smirked and took the attack, not budging an inch. Thrax was already grinning in victory…only to frown when Lucar didn't fall. Sandra came to a stop and watched in awe. Lucar had a plan._

"_You know what?" Lucar asked. "You shouldn't have used a physical move, Thrax."_

"_Huh?" The Toxicroak tilted his head. "And why not? Humor me, baby."_

"_One of the early moves of a Riolu…" Lucar explained. "It's pretty powerful but we're usually too weak to survive our opponent's attack to even use it. But I'm strong. I won't go down. I've only used this move a few times before…but here goes nothing!"_

_Before Thrax could demand answers, pain exploded from his chest and sent him staggering backward. Lucar gasped for air, falling to his knees. Sandra quickly ran to his side, keeping a wary eye on Thrax. The black Pikachu, finally waking up from using Rest, dashed to his leader's side as the Toxicroak fell flat on his back._

"_What the…? What was that?!" Thrax yelled, blood trickling from his mouth._

"_Counter," Lucar replied. "It takes the damage you inflicted upon me with a physical move and sends twice the damage back at you. Sure, it makes me attack second but it's useful against guys like you. It's worth it in the end."_

"_You little…!" Thrax growled._

"_Great idea, Lucar! Are you okay?" Sandra asked._

"_Yeah…I think." Lucar replied._

"_You guys take care of your Pikachu friend! We'll take on Thrax!" Luv cried._

"_Fine by me. Good luck!" Lucar said._

"_Thanks!" Snowflake nodded. "Good luck to you, too."_

_While the Piplup and Glaceon bounded forward to attack Thrax and the black Pikachu, Lucar and Sandra led Nincada through the fog toward the stairs to care for the unconscious and half-drowned Carlos. The thick fog veiled the fight but the trio heard every noise as the enemies collided. It wasn't long until Carlos finally opened his eyes and the battle ended…_

"Wow! It's too bad I was out cold during all of this." Carlos said. "At least Thrax was beaten this time."

"But we didn't find out anything about David." Sandra whimpered.

"Oh…yeah," The Pikachu sighed sadly. _I almost forgot. David's still missing because of Thrax._

"At least Luv and Snowflake are okay." Lucar said, trying to lighten the sad aura he could sense emanating from his two friends. "The next time we see Thrax, we'll find out what he did to David. I know we will."

"You think so?" Sandra asked.

"I'm positive we will!" Lucar declared.

_/Lucar wasn't kidding. The next time we'd see Thrax, we'd definitely see David again. But he wouldn't be the innocent little Pichu we were trying to rescue. If anything, I don't think we ever expected what we'd see…let alone what we'd experience after that./_

"Now then…should we head back to Treasure Town?" Carlos asked, looking at Luv and Snowflake. "You could both go home then."

"I was a wanderer, actually." Snowflake explained. "But that Treasure Town place sounds nice. I'd like to visit there, maybe stay for a while. Thank you for rescuing me."

"And what about you, Luv? Your family must miss you." Sandra commented.

"Actually…um…" The Piplup wrung her flippers nervously. "They wouldn't…miss me, per say."

"Why not?" Lucar asked. He could sense an aura of sadness and longing coming from her. "Is something wrong?"

"…Yeah," Luv nodded. "My family…they're…dead." She almost whispered the last word as tears sprung up in her blue eyes.

"Dead?" Sandra repeated.

"Yeah…" Luv forced the tears back. "It happened a…a few weeks ago. My brother and…and I were playing…in the river. There was this…deep part where…mom and dad said to…to never swim in. We didn't listen and…and something grabbed my brother! It was a Feraligatr! I tried to…tried to save him but I…I couldn't! I tried and tried and tried but it tossed me away like a Kricketot! Then it…it ate him!"

Sandra nearly cried and dashed forward, hugging the Piplup. "It's okay, Luv!" she said. "Why don't you come back to Wigglytuff's Guild with us? Chatot will sort this out and find you a nice home in Treasure Town. We'll visit every day, okay?"

Luv sniffled and wiped the tears away. "Promise?"

"Promise!" Sandra said.

"Okay," Luv hugged the Eevee back. _This is the first time anyone has ever hugged me since my family's deaths. It feels…nice. I don't want this feeling to go away…ever!_

"Then let's get out of here!" Carlos cried. "Mission complete!"

The badge began to glow and teleported the five of them back to Wigglytuff's Guild. Once they untangled themselves from their usual pile, they explained the situation to Chatot. Wigglytuff nearly cried when he explained Luv's past.

"That's so sad!" Wigglytuff cried, hugging Chatot. "Friendly friend's all alone!"

"Ack! Guildmaster! This isn't appropriate!" Chatot squawked.

Wigglytuff sniffled. "Sorry, Chatot." He put Chatot down and rubbed away his tears.

"Well, it's quite surprising that you ran into Thrax once again." Chatot noted. "Barely anyone ever sees him twice. And he's still kidnapping young Pokemon. What for?"

"I don't know," Carlos admitted. "And…he still has David."

"Ah…yes. We still have to find him." Chatot agreed. "Well, I'm happy you managed to spare Luv and Snowflake from whatever Thrax had in store for them. This is a job well done, Team Legend."

"Thanks, Chatot!" Carlos said.

Nincada approached the team and held out his reward. "Thank you for an awesome exploration. I didn't expect to see one of the Big Five criminals but it was great nonetheless. Here you go!" he said.

The Pikachu collected the 250 poke and the Max Elixir Nincada gave them. "Thanks, Nincada."

Once the Bug/Ground-type was gone, Snowflake approached. "Even if it wasn't a mission, you guys saved my life and you should be rewarded." Snowflake said. "Thank you very much. Please accept this Blue Bow as a token of my gratitude."

"A Blue Bow? Now we have three ribbon-like items." Sandra noted. "A Joy Ribbon, a Violet Bow, and a Blue Bow."

"What do ribbons do, anyway?" Carlos asked.

"They can do many things, Carlos." Lucar explained. "Some, like the Violet and Blue Bows, can raise your stats if you hold them. Others, like the Joy Ribbon, can increase the amount of experience points you receive in battle. They can be pretty useful held items."

"Oh," Carlos nodded. "I got it now."

"Well, I'm off to explore Treasure Town. Thanks for bringing me here!" Snowflake climbed up the ladder and left the Guild, a sly smile on her face. _Soon, Team Legend. Soon, I'll make sure you never rescue another Pokemon again!_

Luv sighed and stepped forward. "Since you rescued me, too, I'd also like to reward you. It's your choice whether to accept or refuse it."

"Refuse? Why would we refuse a reward?" Carlos asked, confused.

"Because…" The Piplup shoved back her fear and took a deep breath. "I'd like to join your Exploration Team."

"Huh? Really?!" Sandra asked.

"Really," Luv nodded. "When I lost my family, I felt like I lost everything. But when you guys helped me against Thrax and even cared about me back at Serenity River, I felt loved again. I don't want to be left alone. So, please, let me join you!"

Carlos looked at Lucar and Sandra. The blind Riolu shrugged, sensing the Pikachu's confusion. Sandra smiled and nodded. Carlos nodded back and turned to face the Piplup. It was clear she was prepared for whatever their answer might be.

The Pikachu smiled. "All right then. Welcome to Team Legend, Luv!"

Luv stared at him in shock before nodding, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you!" she cried. "I'll do my very best! I promise!"

Carlos nodded. "Glad to hear it. Before we head for dinner, we should show you our other two teammates. This way, Luv."

The Pikachu led his new teammate down the hall towards their room. Once they entered, Joy looked up and noticed them. She was rocking Michael in her arms, the baby Minun looking as though he was ready to fall asleep any moment. The Raichu was smiling softly.

"Awww!" Luv cooed.

"I'm glad you like him, dear." Joy replied. "Who are you?"

"Joy, meet our newest teammate." Carlos introduced. "Thrax tried to kidnap her, just like he did with David. We rescued her. This is Luv."

"Hi," the Piplup said.

"Hi, Luv. I'm Joy and this is Michael. He only hatched two days ago." Joy explained. "I'm glad to meet you. Looks like we'll need another bed…maybe even a bigger room soon."

"Probably," Carlos agreed. "Though, we do have the biggest room at the moment."

Luv, spotting the window, walked up to it and peered out. "The ocean!" she cried.

"Yeah, I know. It's cool, right?" Sandra said. "We could take you to the beach tomorrow, if you want."

"Really?" Luv asked. "Thanks, Sandra!"

"No problem!" Sandra smiled.

"Hey, Carlos," Lucar whispered something in the Pikachu's ear.

Carlos smiled. Digging through the Treasure Bag, he walked over and presented Luv with the Blue Bow. "Here, Luv. I think you should have this."

"Really?" Luv asked.

"Really. Here, I'll help you put it on." The Pikachu wrapped it around the Piplup's neck and tied the knot at the back. "There! See? You look great with it, Luv!"

Luv touched the Blue Bow gentle and smiled. "Thank you. You're all so nice," she said.

"That's what friends are for." Lucar commented. "Dinner should be ready. Let's eat!"

"Yeah!" Carlos cried.

"Get me something, okay?" Joy asked. "Oran Berries would do nicely."

"Got it!" Carlos said.

"Thanks!" Joy nodded.

"Come on, Luv! Let's get dinner before the boys steal it all!" Sandra joked.

"We wouldn't steal it all, Sandra!" Carlos argued.

"We'd only eat as much as we could before our bellies complained." Lucar added.

"You're not helping, Lucar!" Carlos cried.

"Hey, can't say I didn't try." Lucar replied, smirking.

"Oh, boys! Quit fighting!" Joy said, laughing. "Now get going before you wake Michael up."

"Okay," Carlos groaned.

Luv stifled a laugh. _Is this what friendship is like? Arguing playfully with friends and laughing anyway? I like it. It seems…nice._

"Come on, Luv!" Sandra cried.

Luv smiled. "Coming, Sandra!" The Piplup chased after her new friends. _I think I'll like it here. This is paradise compared to what I've been up to for the past few weeks!_


	18. Chapter 17: Find the Perfect Apples!

Chapter 17: Find the Perfect Apples!

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ugh! What's that noise?" Luv whimpered.

"Loudred, our wake-up call," Carlos replied, sitting up. "Get up, guys. We've got work to do."

"Okay," Sandra stretched and got up. "Joy, are you and Michael staying behind again?"

"I'm afraid so," Joy nodded. "At this rate, I may not be able to go on the expedition if we get picked. Michael's still too young to go on missions. He's only three days old!"

"You're right," Lucar agreed. "Carlos, Sandra, Luv and I would have to go without you."

"If we get picked, I'll be sure to bring back something for you." Sandra promised.

"Thanks, Sandra. That's sweet of you." Joy said.

"No problem, Joy." Sandra nodded.

"Come on, guys. We better get a mission from Chatot." Carlos reminded.

"Okay, Carlos." Luv replied. "Lead the way."

The four Team Legend members headed to the main room and recited the cheers. As everyone else headed off to do work, Chatot approached the group. He seemed very nervous, even a little…fearful?

"Chatot, what's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"Is something wrong?" Lucar added. "Your aura is troubled, almost panicky."

"Yes, something is wrong." Chatot explained. "Last night, our larder was nearly full. This morning, it's nearly empty! The only things left are a few berries and seeds. But that's not the worst part! All the Perfect Apples are gone!"

"Perfect Apples? What are those?" Carlos asked.

"Extremely sweet, extremely delicious apples that just so happen to be the Guildmaster's favorite food." Chatot replied. "And somebody snuck into the larder last night and devoured all of them!"

"How horrible!" Sandra cried. "Who would do that?"

"I don't know, but when I get my hands on them…!" Chatot stopped and took a deep breath. "Please excuse my little outburst. It's just that…if the Guildmaster were to discover there were no Perfect Apples to eat, he would…he would…"

"He would what?" Carlos asked.

"Is it something bad?" Luv added.

"He would…" Chatot gulped. "That. He would do…that."

"Do what?!" Carlos cried.

Chatot cleared his throat. "Anyway, I need you to do me a big favor. I want you to go to Apple Woods and fetch as many Perfect Apples as you can for the Guildmaster before dinner tonight. Do I make that clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Luv nodded.

Chatot sighed in relief. "Thank you very much. I'll be sure to reward you all handsomely if you complete this task for me." he promised.

"No problem, Chatot!" Carlos said. "We'll have so many Perfect Apples that you won't know what to do with them all!"

"I should hope so," Chatot replied. "Now then, off with you! Remember, get them _before_ dinner! The Guildmaster mustn't find out about this shortage!"

"Right!" Sandra cried. "Let's go, guys!"

As the four of them headed up the ladder, they never noticed Skuntank and his two cronies watching them. Licking their lips, they silently followed the Exploration Team as the thought of all the Perfect Apples they devoured last night came to mind. They would be getting seconds soon enough.

_/This mission would probably be one of the biggest disasters we'd ever have. Not only would we have to deal with Team Skull, but we'd have conflict between our teammates once it was all over. Only one of them wasn't really our teammate. If you don't understand, you'll know soon enough./_

Carlos led his teammates into Treasure Town to drop off excess supplies and money. Waving hello to Snowflake, they headed for the crossroads and made their way to Apples Woods. Once there, they began their long trek through the 12 floor mystery dungeon…unaware of Team Skull silently trailing their every move.

On the first floor, it became apparent as to why it was called Apple Woods. Within the first ten rooms, they found four Apples. A fifth they located was grabbed and devoured by an Oddish. Lucar was quick to knock it out with Force Palm. They also encountered two Budews and a Paras, all of which were defeated by Sandra and Lucar. The abundant Grass-types proved to be resistant to both Carlos' Electric-type attacks and Luv's Water-type attacks.

On the second floor, Sandra ended up being caught in a Caterpie's String Shot. Luv quickly freed her with Peck while Carlos knocked out the Bug-type with Quick Attack. Carlos came across an X-Eye Seed and tucked it away, tossing a Blast Seed at a nearby Hoppip to drive it off.

On the third floor, they came across their first real challenge in a Burmy wearing a Sandy Cloak. It frequently used Protect to save itself from attacks and fought back with Tackle.

"How do we beat this guy?!" Sandra cried, growling in frustration as Protect stopped her Shadow Ball from hitting the Burmy.

"Protect has to give in sooner or later!" Lucar replied, smashing a Force Palm into it. "It only lasts two or three turns, anyway!"

"Then let's…break it already! Thundershock!" Carlos yelled.

The moment the electricity crashed into the glowing blue barrier, Protect shattered. The Burmy screeched in pain as the electrical blast shocked it. Burmy suddenly lunged with Tackle, only to be knocked back by Luv's Pound. It fell over, unconscious.

"Man, that was hard!" Carlos grumbled.

"There are harder things to come." Lucar reminded. "Let's keep moving."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

On the fourth floor, they fought a Butterfree who enjoyed knocking them around with Confusion. Much to Team Legend's dismay, it also had a liking for using Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore on them. Luv ended up asleep, Lucar was paralyzed, and Sandra became poisoned. Carlos escaped thanks to Double Team and defeated it with a powerful Thundershock. Before finding the stairs, Carlos located a few different Gummis, a Pecha Berry, another Apple, and a TM for the move Dive.

On the fifth floor, a pair of Weedle nearly knocked Luv out. Carlos and Lucar teamed up to defeat them and, as they moved on, Luv used Aqua Ring to heal her health as they moved. They found an Escape Orb and a Warp Orb, along with three sticks. Once they found the stairs, they also found their first Exeggutor.

"Whoa! Talk about a living palm tree!" Carlos yelped, dodging a Seed Bomb.

"I know, right?" Lucar said, jumping away as the Grass-type tried to smash him into the ground with Stomp. "Hey, let's all try attack it together?"

"Sounds good! Let's do it!" Sandra cried.

Carlos struck first, using Double Team to surround it with copies of himself. Sandra unleashed a few Shadow Balls while Lucar dashed in and pounded it with Force Palm. The real Carlos suddenly flopped onto his back and kicked Luv up into the air, letting her use an aerial Peck to nearly knock it out.

"You're kidding! That didn't work?!" Carlos cried.

"It's pretty weak. How about another Peck?" Lucar suggested.

"You got it!" Luv nodded.

One more Peck and the Exeggutor finally collapsed. After celebrating their victory, Team Legend moved on to find the stairs and an Oran Berry. Luv's Aqua Ring wore off and she felt relieved, her health nearly back to normal.

On the sixth floor, they took out a pair of Butterfree and an Oddish the moment they landed on the floor. As they searched for the stairs, a Budew pursued them for a short ways before vanishing down another path. Carlos dispatched a Paras before climbing up the stairs.

On the seventh floor, they tried to tip-toe around a sleeping Gloom. Unfortunately, a Combee foiled their efforts and woke it up the moment it attacked Carlos. The pair of wild Pokemon fought their hardest but were eventually defeated. Two Paras and a Weedle also fell before the group found the stairs.

On the eighth floor, the only Pokemon they encountered that fought them was another Exeggutor and it was easily defeated by the same combo they used before. After picking up two Oran Berries, a Cheri Berry, and a Power Band, they found the stairs to be guarded by a lone Kakuna. Luv defeated it quickly with Peck and the Exploration Team moved on.

On the ninth floor, a Paras and a Weedle attempted to stop them but were defeated. A Combee fought them when they attempted to pick up a Warp Seed and was also defeated. Upon finding the stairs, a Beedrill swooped in to attack. Its Poison Sting and Fury Swipes were hard to dodge but the four explorers managed it, taking it down with a Shadow Ball and Peck combo.

On the tenth floor, another Beedrill confronted them straight away. Once it was defeated, the group carried on quietly until they were forced into a double battle with a Paras and an Exeggutor. When they both fell, Carlos picked up a Special Band before going up the stairs.

On the eleventh floor, two Paras and a Combee were all they fought throughout the whole floor. After they were defeated, Carlos searched for any useful items and found another Apple and a TM for Light Screen. They climbed the stairs once they found them, narrowly escaping an encounter with another Paras.

On the twelfth floor, they encountered many Paras up until they found the stairs guarded by a pair of Kakuna. Picking up the Stun Seed he spotted, Carlos used Thundershock to knock them both out. Smiling in triumph, Team Legend climbed the stairs for the final time to the last floor.

Once they left the mystery dungeon, they stared in awe at the trees around them. Every tree was practically exploding with apples! And in the biggest tree before them were the largest and shiniest apples they had ever seen. No wonder they were called Perfect Apples. They sure seemed perfect.

"I can't believe this! I've never seen so many apples in my whole life!" Sandra cried.

"Let's hurry up and gather those Perfect Apples for Wigglytuff! After that, we can grab a snack and head back." Carlos said.

"I'd like that. I'm pretty hungry after that long walk." Luv agreed.

"Let's do it!" Sandra cried.

"Hold up!" Lucar growled, stopping her. "Something's wrong. There are other Pokemon already here."

"Who?" Carlos asked.

"Chaw haw haw!" a voice laughed. "It looks like the blind puppy found us!"

"Whoa ho ho! That's not fair!" another voice complained.

"Heh heh heh! Who cares?" a third argued.

"Team Skull!" Carlos cried. "Where are you?!"

"Right here!" Skuntank replied, popping out…from his hiding place in the big tree! Zubat and Koffing appeared alongside him. "It's about time you wimps got here! We almost ate everything waiting for you."

"What?!" Carlos cried. "You're _eating_ them?!"

"What's the matter? That's what you do with apples." Zubat said, biting into one of the Perfect Apples. "Mmmm! Just as tasty as last night!"

"Last night?" Luv repeated.

"It was you!" Sandra accused. "You ate all the Perfect Apples in the larder! Why?!"

"We were hungry, that's why! And we're hungry now, too!" Koffing replied.

"What're you wimps going to do about it, huh?" Skuntank asked, climbing down and standing before them. "Are you going to try and stop us?"

"Of course! And we'll prove that you guys truly are bad!" Carlos cried.

"Try it. I dare you." Skuntank growled.

"Gladly!" Carlos yelled, charging.

Skuntank smirked and raised a hand, swiping downward to use Slash. Carlos dodged and twisted around, smashing his lightning bolt-shaped tail into Skuntank's face. The skunk-like Pokemon growled and swiped again, only to have Carlos race away. Skuntank shook his head, groaning from the hit. Zubat and Koffing quickly shot down the tree to their leader's side.

"Chief!" Zubat cried.

"You okay, Chief?" Koffing asked.

"Yeah," Skuntank nodded, shrugging the pain off. "It doesn't hurt that much. But I'm not just letting that mouse get away with that."

"Are you finally going to fight back?" Carlos demanded.

"Of course!" Skuntank replied. "Koffing, let's give these losers a dose of our Double Knock-Out Gas!"

"Right, Chief!" Koffing nodded. "Zubat, you better back off. It's about to get stinky in here!"

"Got it!" Zubat retreated into the trees, getting as far away as he could from the imminent stink bomb.

"See you losers later!" Skuntank laughed. "Chaw haw haw! Let it rip, Koffing!"

"Right, Chief!" Koffing cried.

"Everyone, get down!" Carlos warned, dropping to the ground.

The clearing was soon filled with a thick green gas. Laughing, Koffing and Skuntank gathered up the last of the Perfect Apples and fled from the scene. Team Legend, despite their struggles, fell unconscious from the stink. They were unaware of a single Pokemon who had been waiting for this type of chance.

"Finally!" it cried and dove in, aiming straight for Carlos. "Have fun switching places with me, loser!"

_/This is the disaster I meant. Not only does Team Skull take us out but somebody else decides to jump us while we're down. It would take us a while to discover that we had been infiltrated. I just wish it had never happened. Because of our carelessness, Carlos ended up suffering. How, you'll see soon./_

Sandra groaned as she slowly drifted back into consciousness. The first thing she noticed was that the sun was beginning to set. Dinner would begin soon back at the Guild. Then she noticed the Perfect Apples…or the lack of them. Every last one on the tree was gone.

_We failed,_ she realized. _We failed…again! Chatot said this was important and we failed! I can't believe Team Skull did this to us! What did we do to deserve this?!_

Sitting up, she noticed Lucar and Luv slowly stirring. The Eevee quietly stepped toward Carlos and shook him. After a few moments, the Pikachu woke up and looked around in confusion.

"Where…?" he started.

"Team Skull is gone, along with all the Perfect Apples." Sandra explained. "We failed, Carlos."

"Who were those guys?" Luv asked, rubbing her head. "And what did they want?"

"That was Team Skull, a group of thugs posing as an Exploration Team We beat up Zubat and Koffing when they stole Sandra's Relic Fragment before and I guess they're trying to get us back for that." Lucar explained.

"We were so close to succeeding, too." Carlos muttered.

Lucar nodded and looked at Carlos. Something was…off about the Pikachu's aura. Almost as if it wasn't really him. "Carlos, are you okay?" he asked. "Your aura seems a little…strange."

"Strange? Like how?" Sandra asked.

"Almost as if it isn't—" Lucar never got to finish.

"It must be the gas." Carlos said firmly.

"Huh?" The blind Riolu tilted his head in confusion.

"The gas," Carlos repeated. "Maybe there was something in it that affected your aura-sensing skills, Lucar. Don't worry. I feel perfectly fine!"

"But—" Lucar started.

"Lucar, I'm fine." Carlos said firmly.

Lucar flinched, suddenly afraid. Something in Carlos' tone seemed menacing, almost as if he was threatening Lucar. _What's going on? Carlos has never spoken like that to me before. But…could he be right? Was it just the gas? Or…is this something entirely different?_

"What should we do now? Dinner will start soon and we have no Perfect Apples for Guildmaster Wigglytuff." Sandra whimpered. "Chatot will be so mad at us."

"It's not our fault, Sandra." Carlos said. "It was Team Skull's fault. If we tell him what happened, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"You think so?" Sandra asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

"We should head back then. The sooner we tell Chatot what happened, the sooner we can eat dinner. I'm still starving!" Luv complained.

"Right," Lucar nodded, still avoiding Carlos' gaze.

"But…we can't say mission complete. We failed." Sandra argued.

"Then say mission failed and see what happens." Carlos suggested.

"…Alright." The Eevee held up the Exploration Badge and sighed sadly. "Mission…failed."

In a flash of white light, the four members of Team Legend were teleported back to the Guild to confront Chatot. The Flying-type was waiting patiently and became excited upon seeing them. The four Pokemon disentangled themselves and faced Chatot, all of them nervous…except for Carlos.

"Well?!" Chatot asked. "Did you get the Perfect Apples?"

"…No, Chatot. We failed." Sandra said.

"But have we got news for you! The reason we didn't get them was—" Lucar started.

"You didn't get the Perfect Apples?!" Chatot nearly screamed. "Oh no! This isn't good! This is disastrous! How could you fail such an important mission?!"

"But Team Skull—" Sandra tried to explain.

"Silence! I will hear no excuses!" Chatot barked, glaring at the four Pokemon. "Oh, what will I tell the Guildmaster? I…" Suddenly, Chatot fell silent.

"Uh…Chatot?" Luv said. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" Chatot growled. "But I have come to a solution for my problem. I'll bring you with me to tell the Guildmaster why there are no Perfect Apples in the larder tonight."

"What?!" Sandra yelped.

"But it wasn't our fault!" Lucar argued.

"I said no excuses!" Chatot shouted. "Now be quiet and come with me!"

Lucar, Luv, and Sandra looked at each other sadly before following Chatot into the Guildmaster's chamber. Carlos sighed in annoyance and followed them in, hardly paying any attention. His mind was elsewhere, analyzing and memorizing everything inside of the Guild. He might need that knowledge later down the road.

_/I'm sure you can already tell that Carlos isn't himself. That's because he isn't. But we wouldn't know that until just hours before the expedition. Carlos wouldn't be the only one suffering because of this. Lucar would, too. I just can't believe I never realized it until it was almost already over./_

Once they were all lined up in front of Guildmaster Wigglytuff, Chatot cleared his throat. "Guildmaster, the team I sent has returned."

"Hiya, friendly friends!" Wigglytuff greeted cheerfully. "Did you bring me any Perfect Apples? I'm starving!"

Sandra, Lucar, and Luv whimpered guiltily. "Actually…um…" Sandra looked away.

"What's wrong, friendly friends?" Wigglytuff asked.

"Guildmaster, what they're trying to say is that there…" Chatot swallowed back a lump of fear and continued. "There are no Perfect Apples, Guildmaster."

"I knew that already, Chatot!" Wigglytuff argued. "But where are the ones they brought for me?"

"That's what I'm trying to say! There are none in the larder and they failed to bring any back." Chatot explained. "So, until I find a more reliable team to bring you some…you'll have to go without for a while."

"…Oh," Wigglytuff looked down sadly. "None?"

"None, Guildmaster. I'm terribly sorry." Chatot glared angrily at Team Legend. "Just so you know, Team Legend will be punished seve—WHAAA!!"

The ground was beginning to shake heavily and smoke exploded through the air. Recognizing the Guildmaster's wrath, Team Legend quickly ducked. Sandra had to drag a confused Carlos down, who was wondering where an earthquake suddenly came from. Chatot flapped around, squawking in terror.

_This is it! We're dead,_ Sandra thought. _The expedition isn't here yet and already, we die! This isn't how I pictured dying!_

Just as the shaking reached its peak, a voice broke through the rumbling. "I'm here to deliver a Perfect Apple!"

The shaking ended and Team Skull entered the room, placing a Perfect Apple before Wigglytuff. "Thanks, friendly friends!" he cried before devouring it.

"We brought it as a gift to show our joy at going on the expedition. We enjoy showing gratitude to our hosts." Skuntank said as politely as he could.

"Well, I wish there were more like you. Thank you very much. You've just averted a terrible disaster!" Chatot cried.

"Of course! Anytime, Chatot. We'll be going to bed now." Team Skull left, casting smirks at Team Legend.

Chatot's smile quickly faded as he turned to Team Legend. "Go to bed. Now!" he ordered.

"What about dinner?" Luv asked.

"That's your punishment. No dinner." Chatot declared. "Good night!"

Grumbling sadly, Team Legend headed back to their rooms with growling stomachs. While Sandra, Lucar, and Luv went to bed sadly, Carlos simply stared at the ceiling. _This will do nicely,_ he thought. _This will be a perfect way to escape with my deeds. They won't even know what hit them._ The Pikachu's smirk grew.

Back in the clearing at Apple Woods, Carlos slowly opened his eyes. "What the…? Where am I?" he whimpered. Pain suddenly shot through him, knocking him unconscious once more.


	19. Chapter 18: Phantom Thief Jealousy

Chapter 18: Phantom Thief Jealousy

"Hello? Anybody in there?" a voice asked.

"Huh? Ugh…" Carlos' head was pounding. _What happened? Where am I? And who's talking to me?_

"Hey! Wake up, mister!" the voice urged.

"Wha…?" The Pikachu struggled to open his eyes but couldn't manage it. _Maybe I'm dreaming. Too sleepy…_

"Okay, mister. Sorry but you asked for it," the voice finally said.

"Hmmm…?" Carlos could hear the sound of wings flapping nearby. _Who could this be? Lucar and Sandra don't have wings and Luv can't fly. How weird…_

His peaceful rest was suddenly interrupted as pain suddenly tore through his right ear. Snapping his eyes open, Carlos jumped to his feet and shook wildly, pawing at whatever had latched its teeth into his ear. The teeth withdrew and flapped away quickly to avoid his swiping paws. Carlos instantly clutched his right ear, feeling a small amount of blood seeping from the bite wound.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he cried.

"I had to wake you up somehow, mister," the voice replied.

Carlos looked around. "Who's there?" he asked.

"Oh, just little ol' me," the voice said cheerfully.

"That doesn't help. Where are you?" Carlos demanded.

"Right here!" the voice cried.

Carlos nearly screamed as something bright green suddenly appeared in front of his face. Panicking, the Pikachu dove into a bush before peering out cautiously. Slowly coming out, he blinked in shock at the sight before him.

It was a bright green Zubat with pink on the insides of its—no, her—wings. She was hanging upside down from a low-hanging branch, her wings slowly folding around her to protect her from the early morning sun. A red ribbon was tied around her neck, the long ends nearly touching the ground. She was smiling, displaying two sharp fangs that glinted with blood. His blood.

"What…what _are_ you?" Carlos asked.

"A Zubat. What else? Do I look like a flying Pichu to you?" the green Zubat joked.

"But you're _green_!" Carlos pointed out.

"So? I happen to like the color green. It helps me stand out from the colony!" the Zubat said, smiling. "Then again, I don't actually have a colony anymore."

"Oh," Carlos sighed. "Hey, am I still in Apple Woods?"

"Yep! At the very heart of it, actually. Oh, I'm so rude! Call me Zuzu," the green Zubat introduced. "Who are you?"

"Carlos,"

"And what are you doing out here?" Zuzu asked.

"I was on a mission with my teammates, Lucar, Luv, and Sandra, to gather Perfect Apples." Carlos explained. "We managed to get here…but Team Skull attacked us and knocked us out."

"Ooh! That had to hurt." Zuzu whimpered.

"Yeah, it did." Carlos agreed. "Hey! Have you seen a Riolu, an Eevee, and a Piplup around here? They're my teammates."

"Nope! I haven't seen any Riolus, Eevees, or Piplups around here." Zuzu replied. "I only got here a good hour or two ago. Maybe they left?"

"No way! They wouldn't have left without me!" Carlos argued.

"Well, either they did or they're lost." Zuzu said.

Carlos groaned. "Now what do I do?" Then he noticed something. "Hey! Where's the Treasure Bag?!"

"What bag?" Zuzu asked.

"The bag I had on me! It had all of our supplies in it, including my Exploration Badge!" Carlos explained. "I can't get back to Treasure Town without it!"

"Treasure Town? I know where that is!" Zuzu cried.

"You do?! Could you get me there, Zuzu?" Carlos begged.

"Sure, but we'll have to get out of here first. And the only way to do that is if we go out the way we came in." the Zubat replied.

"Then let's do it! My teammates, if they have their badges, are probably back in Treasure Town." Carlos said. "I have to get there before they worry."

"Well, it's a long walk. You sure you're up for it?" Zuzu asked.

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "Lead the way, Zuzu."

"Okay!" Zuzu nodded and took to the air, leading the way through Apple Woods.

Carlos and Zuzu battled through the next twelve floors of enemy Pokemon. It was harder to beat more than two opponents at a time for Carlos since Sandra, Lucar, and Luv weren't there anymore. But Zuzu's Bite and Astonish attacks worked nicely to drive enemies off.

It seemed to have taken forever for the duo to escape from Apple Woods. The walk to get back to Treasure Town seemed to take longer still, but they made it. Upon reaching the crossroads, Carlos nearly collapsed in sheer joy.

"I'm back!" he cried.

"And I'm out of here," Zuzu said.

"What? Why?" Carlos asked.

"It's getting dark and I need to find someplace to hunt. It's been nice helping you get back home but I'm up for some dinner." Zuzu replied. "Don't get lost again, Carlos! I might not be there to save you!"

As the green Zubat turned, she suddenly screeched in terror and flew behind Carlos. Confused, Carlos looked up and realized what Zuzu was scared of. He felt his own fur stand on end as the odd group of Pokemon approached them.

At the lead was a Rhyperior, followed closely by an Electivire and a Magmortar. A Tangrowth followed a shirt distance behind, glancing over her shoulder at a Lickilicky that lumbered after her. The five Pokemon radiated pure power and strength. As they passed, Carlos spotted a badge attached to the giant Treasure Bag that the Rhyperior carried. They were an Exploration Team.

Once they passed and headed further into Treasure Town, Zuzu came out. "Those guys were scary!" she squeaked.

"That was another Exploration Team!" Carlos explained. "I saw the badge. I wonder who they are."

"I don't really care. I'm out of here. Bye!" Zuzu took to the air and flew off as fast as she could back to Apple Woods.

"Bye!" Carlos waved. Then he turned to face the long staircase in front of him. "Time to get back. I hope Sandra and the others didn't worry too much." He started climbing.

_/Too bad for Carlos. We weren't waiting for him. To us, Carlos was never missing. He was still with us…or so we thought. The events that would occur next could've been stopped if we just believed him. The real copycat was clever, I'll give them that much. And this wouldn't be the first time they'd trick us like this. Luckily, the Guild would never get involved like this again./_

The sun was beginning to set by the time Carlos reached the top of the steps, sighing as he set eyes on Wigglytuff's Guild. _Home,_ he thought. Stepping forward, Carlos looked down the grate at where he guessed Diglett would be. "Diglett! It's me, Carlos!" he called.

"Carlos?" Diglett repeated from within the grate.

"WHO is it?!" Loudred's voice bellowed.

"He says he's Carlos!" Diglett replied.

"WHAT?!" Loudred yelled.

"Maybe you should get Chatot and Team Legend, Loudred." Diglett suggested.

"ALRIGHT! Just keep _CARLOS_ there for me!" Loudred ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Diglett cried.

_What's going on?_ Carlos wondered. _They should've let me in. Why haven't they? Is something wrong?_

Chatot's voice soon rose from the grate. "Hello there!"

"Chatot! Man, am I glad to hear you!" Carlos cried. "You won't believe what happened to me all day today! After I got knocked out in Apple Woods, I woke up all alone. Then this weird green Zubat talked to me and led me back to Treasure Town. And then we saw this really powerful Exploration Team! Anyway, I'm sorry if I worried Sandra and my teammates or anything."

"My, what a fascinating journey you had today!" Chatot said. He almost sounded…sarcastic?

"Chatot, what's wrong?" the Pikachu asked. "You sound like you don't believe me."

"Well…I don't." Chatot admitted.

"What?! Why not?" Carlos demanded.

"Well, _Carlos_, I'm afraid you may as well end your little charade." Chatot replied coldly. "Last night, Team Legend returned from failing their mission to Apple Woods. Carlos was with them. You're not fooling anyone with your copycat skills."

_What?!_ Carlos mentally screamed.

"If you don't believe me, I'll let you talk to him. Carlos!" Chatot called.

"No, Chatot! Something's wrong!" Carlos cried, stomping the grate. "I'm not lying! It's really me!"

"You may as well stop that, copycat," a cold voice said. "Everyone down here knows you're a fake. Want to know why? Because _I'm_ the real Carlos."

"What? N-n-no!" Carlos argued. "You're not me! Sandra, please! You've got to believe me! He's a fake!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but…please stop. This isn't funny." Sandra's voice called up from the grate. "Carlos is right here. Please stop lying, sir. You could hurt a lot of people's feelings by doing that."

"Sandra, I'm not lying!" Carlos wailed. _What's going on here? Why are there two of me?!_

Inside of the Guild, everyone was standing around the sentry tunnel as they heard Carlos' pleas. Even Guildmaster Wigglytuff came to see what all the racket was about. Chatot was growling in frustration, his feathers puffing up.

"Persistent copycat, isn't he?" Carlos noted.

"Indeed," Chatot nodded. "We've had copycats here before but they've never been this persistent. At this rate, we'll have to drive him off ourselves if he doesn't leave soon."

"Yeah," Carlos agreed.

"Who do you think it really is?" Sunflora asked.

Everyone shrugged, not seeming to care. Carlos smirked. _Time to put my plan into action,_ he thought. "I have an idea," he said.

"Oh my gosh! Who, Carlos? Tell us!" Sunflora cried.

"It actually seems quite obvious," the Pikachu explained. "This Pokemon can mimic anyone perfectly, from what I've heard. They're persistent and stubborn. And they enjoy sneaking into places like this in order to steal valuable items or money."

"Hey, hey, hey! Just tell us who it is already!" Corphish demanded.

"Phantom Thief Jealousy, the criminal Ditto," Carlos finally said.

"Eek! You really think it's her?" Sunflora asked.

"From what I've heard, I'm almost positive about it." Carlos replied.

"What would she want from us?" Chimecho asked.

"Probably all the money that the Guild receives from the missions we do." Carlos said. _Hah! This is too easy! I've got these guys wrapped around my finger! Now for the finishing blow…_

Lucar looked at Carlos with suspicion. _Since when does Carlos suddenly know everything about criminals? This doesn't seem right…not at all!_

"Hey, if it really is that Phantom Thief, then should we capture her?" Dugtrio asked.

"Yes, we should. Dugtrio, go to Treasure Town and fetch Team Heroes!" Chatot ordered. "They should be able to capture this criminal Ditto."

"She isn't very smart, though." Luv commented. "Why disguise yourself as someone who's already here?"

"Who knows?" Carlos shrugged. "The sooner that copycat's gone, the better!"

"I'm just glad we didn't fall for it." Sandra said, smiling. "I'm glad you're here, Carlos."

"Me, too," Carlos agreed, his voice distant. _Be glad all you want, kiddo. Once I have what I want, you'll be wishing you had listened to the 'copycat'. Hah!_

Back at the grate outside the Guild, Carlos finally came to a decision. "I'll prove I'm the real one by defeating that copycat!" he cried. _Sorry, Chatot. I'll fix this later,_ he mentally promised.

Digging the dirt out from around the grate, he struggled to lift the huge metal grate up. Once he managed to move it, he jumped through the gap and landed on the ground in front of Diglett. The Ground-type screamed and dove underground, resurfacing back in the Guild.

"It's the copycat Carlos! He broke in through the grate!" Diglett cried.

"Eek! No way!" Sunflora wailed. "What do we do, Chatot?!"

"We'll have to hold him off and get him out of the Guild." Chatot replied. "Once we get him outside, Team Heroes should be able to handle the rest. Guildmaster, maybe you should leave this to us."

"No!" Wigglytuff argued. "If friendly friends are in danger, I'll protect them! I won't let a criminals hurt them!"

"Oh, Guildmaster…" Chimecho sighed. "You're so brave!"

"Fine! Everyone, prepare to drive him back!" Chatot barked. "Don't let him get into the Guild!"

"RIGHT!!" everyone cried.

Back in the sentry tunnel, Carlos crawled toward the entrance that led into the Guild. It was dark, so he was forced to find his way by touch and smell. Spotting a bright light coming from the roof of the tunnel, he smiled in satisfaction. _Found it! Now to get that copycat back for tricking my friends,_ he thought.

Grabbing the rim of the entrance hole, the Pikachu dragged himself up and looked around…only to duck as Chatot swooped upon him with talons extended. Chatot swerved back for another strike. Carlos dragged himself up and out of the hole, only then realizing that the entire Guild was in the room.

"Guys, stop! I'm not your enemy!" he cried.

"Yeah right, Phantom Thief!" Sunflora argued. "Razor Leaf!"

"Uproar!" Chimecho cried.

_/How would you like to be attacked by the very people you trusted over a case of mistaken identity? It's not a thing that can be apologized for by a simple sorry. It would be a while before Carlos would be fully comfortable around our friends at the Guild again. And that doesn't even begin to explain what he did about us, his own teammates. We turned on him, for Arceus' sake!/_

Carlos cried out in pain as a loud noise hit his ears, causing him to hunch over. Sharp leaves suddenly hit him from all sides, tearing through his yellow fur and drawing blood. Fighting the noise, he looked up in time to dodge a Headbutt from Bidoof. Corphish's Bubble managed to hit him in the back, though. The Pikachu crashed to his knees as pain coursed through his body.

"Hey, hey, hey! This is what you get for not only trying to trick us but for breaking in, too!" Corphish growled. "ViceGrip!"

Carlos screamed as one of Corphish's pincers clamped around him, picking him off of the ground. He soon found himself dropped back into the sentry tunnel. Refusing to give in, the Pikachu jumped back up…only to get hit with Loudred's Stomp.

Chatot peered in at him from the entrance of the tunnel. "Leave here at once, Phantom Thief Jealousy!" he demanded. "We don't tolerate copycat criminals sneaking into our Guild. We've already called an Exploration Team for your arrest. You'll never cause problems for Pokemon like Team Legend ever again!"

"What?!" Carlos yelped. "Arrested?! I can't be arrested!"

"Well, you're about to be. Guildmaster, if you would?" Chatot hopped away from the tunnel entrance.

Wigglytuff took his place and looked down at Carlos. "I won't ever let you hurt my friend, Carlos!" he vowed.

"Wigglytuff, please! It's really me! He's the copycat!" Carlos begged.

"I'm sorry. Bye." Wigglytuff replied, ignoring his pleas. "Yoom…"

"Wigglytuff, no!" Carlos cried.

"TAAAAAAH!!" Wigglytuff screamed, unleashing Hyper Voice.

"WHAAA!!" Carlos screamed as the voice of the attack sent him flying down the tunnel. In only a matter of seconds, he burst out through the grate and crashed to the ground in front of the Guild. "Ugh…that hurt."

"This is about to hurt even more, Phantom Thief," a cold voice said from behind him.

Struggling to his feet, the Pikachu turned around and saw the very same Exploration Team he saw earlier. The Rhyperior glared at him while his teammates prepared to fight.

"Get ready to fight, Jealousy. You're not getting past us this time, that much I can promise." Rhyperior growled.

"I'm not this Phantom Thief person!" Carlos cried.

"Just keep talking, Jealousy. We know it's you." Magmortar said.

"Just give up. You're already beaten up, anyway." Electivire pointed out. "You don't stand a chance against us now."

Carlos panted for breath. "I won't be arrested! You should arrest the other Carlos!" he cried. "He's the copycat, not me!"

"Nice try, Jealousy. Time's up." Magmortar said.

The Fire-type raised a cannon-like arm and shot forward, bringing it down like a sledgehammer upon Carlos. The Pikachu jumped away, cheeks sparking. He launched a Thundershock at Magmortar…only to watch in horror as the lightning bolt was absorbed into Rhyperior's horn.

"What's the matter, Jealousy? Did you forget my ability so quickly?" Rhyperior smirked. "Your Electric-type attacks have no effect. Why not something else? Then again, you don't have many options. Turn into a Water-type and Electivire will electrocute you. Turn into a Grass-type and Magmortar will fry you. Not much left to turn into for you."

_He's right,_ Carlos thought. _My Electric-type attacks have no effect at all! My only chance is if I run for it. I don't stand a chance against these powerhouses!_

"Magmortar, finish this." Rhyperior ordered.

"Right, boss!" Magmortar stepped forward. "Say good night, Jealousy! Fire Punch!"

Carlos dodged to the right and raced away, practically flying down the steps. _I've got to get away from here! I can't be arrested! No way!_ Carlos thought.

"You idiot! You're letting him get away!" Electivire shouted.

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" Magmortar snapped.

"Enough, both of you!" Rhyperior roared. "You follow Jealousy and chase her out of town. Tangrowth, you know what to do. Lickilicky, follow me."

"Okay, boss!" The huge Normal-type lumbered after Rhyperior, leaving the trio on their own.

"Let's go, Electivire!" Magmortar ran down the steps, followed close behind by the Electric-type.

"Time to rig the trap," Tangrowth muttered, walking down the steps and heading for the beach. "I just hope the boys can chase that Ditto into it."

Carlos, being pursued by Electivire and Magmortar, ran through the crossroads and down a path he faintly recognized. In seconds, he suddenly knew where he was: the beach! In other words, a dead end. Skidding to a stop through the sand, the Pikachu suddenly dashed toward Beach Cave. Maybe he could lose them in the mystery dungeon.

_/If I were being chased, a mystery dungeon would definitely be a good place to hide. Since the floors change for every group that enters it, Carlos would've been safe for a bit before Team Heroes would find him. It's too bad Carlos wouldn't even make it to the cave entrance./_

Magmortar smirked. "Now!" he yelled.

A huge net of blue vines erupted from the sand, trapping Carlos and dangling him a good five or six feet off the ground. Panicking, Carlos tried to electrocute the vines but quickly realized that wasn't working. He was trapped…captured.

Rhyperior, Lickilicky, and Tangrowth emerged from behind a wall of rock and approached their teammates. Electivire gave them a thumb's up while Magmortar stepped toward the net, revealed to be some of Tangrowth's vines.

"You lose, Jealousy," the Fire-type said.

"For the last time, I'm not this Phantom Thief!" Carlos cried.

"Now what do we do, boss?" Electivire asked, looking at Rhyperior.

"What we always do to criminals we catch, Electivire." Rhyperior replied. "We take our little Ditto here to Magnezone and have her locked up in prison."

"Right!" Lickilicky nodded. "Then we go catch more criminals!"

"Yeah," Rhyperior nodded. "Electivire, carry the net. Magmortar, knock our little thief out. We don't want her memorizing the path we'll have to take to the prison."

"Fine by me," Magmortar said.

"Why can't I knock her out?" Electivire whined.

"Because Jealousy is in a Pikachu morph at the moment. Your electricity will do little to no damage to her." Magmortar replied.

"I'm a guy!" Carlos shouted.

Rhyperior nodded to Magmortar, causing the Fire-type to raise one arm. Before Carlos could cry out, he was hit upside the head. The last thing Carlos saw was Tangrowth taking the next down and Electivire carrying it.

Then he blacked out.


	20. Chapter 19: Meeting Some Old 'Friends'

Chapter 19: Meeting Some Old 'Friends'

Carlos awoke to find himself alone in a dark cell. Standing up, he instantly felt dizzy and leaned against a wall for support. Rubbing his head, he tried to figure out what happened.

_Oh, yeah,_ he thought. _I went back to the Guild and found a copycat taking my place. Almost everyone attacked me…and then that Exploration Team hunted me down at the beach. I was caught and then…they must've knocked me out._

A quick scan revealed only a firmly-locked door, a barred window, and a ragged blanket as the only decorations to the cell…as if you could call them decorations. After recovering from his brief dizzy spell, the Pikachu stumbled over to the door and peered through the small barred window at the top.

All he could see was a long corridor and more cells. But that wasn't what scared him. It was who just-so-happened to be in the cell across from him. Dusk the Banette…the one who kidnapped Sandra and tried to kidnap him.

Dusk noticed him staring through the hole in the door and frowned. "What are you staring at?" he growled.

"Nothing!" Carlos yelped, ducking back into his cell.

Dusk, recognizing the Pikachu's voice, grabbed the edges of his own barred window. "Carlos? Is that you?!" he demanded.

"Nope! Never heard of Carlos!" Carlos denied, refusing to look through the hole in the door again.

"It _is_ you!" Dusk cried. "What are you doing in here?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dus—I mean, Mr. Banette!" Carlos nearly kicked himself. _Why did I nearly say his name?!_

Dusk smirked. "Aha! It is you!" the Banette accused. "Looks like the great former-human has joined us criminals in the slammer. Mind telling what happened?"

Carlos groaned and stood back up, looking through the hole at the Banette. "Okay, you caught me." he admitted. "I was framed by someone called Phantom Thief Jealousy."

"Jealousy? She framed a pipsqueak like you?!" Dusk snapped. "What for?!"

"I don't know but she turned everyone against me, even my own teammates!" Carlos growled. "I was caught by an Exploration Team called Team Heroes. I tried to tell them it was a mistake but they didn't listen!"

"Of course not! Jealousy's tried that tactic on Team Heroes before!" Dusk explained. "Dittos are capable of mimicking anyone almost perfectly, even down to the smallest detail. They can copy your personality, your looks, your voice, even your attacks flawlessly just by observing you for a while!"

"You mean she's been following me around?!" Carlos exclaimed.

"Most likely," Dusk replied. "How else could she have turned everyone you know against you? And you wouldn't be the first she's swapped places with. Once she pulls another heist and reveals herself, you'll be released. Then again, she tends to wait for weeks, even months, before revealing her true identity to others."

"Months?! I can't be in here that long!" Carlos cried.

"It's not like you have much of a choice, Carlos." Dusk pointed out. "You're stuck in here until she decides she's had her fun with your friends. Your only option is to wait until they let you go. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Carlos asked.

"Nah! That's impossible." Dusk muttered. "It's only happened once before. Then again, he's not a normal Pikachu. Could it…?"

"Could what? Dusk, tell me!" Carlos demanded.

"Hey, keep it down!" Dusk hissed, glaring at the Pikachu. "Look, it's a long shot but it might work since you're a former human. You can try to break out and catch Jealousy while she's alone."

"Break out? Is that even possible?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, it's possible." Dusk nodded. "It only happened once before. Not long after that famous Exploration Team, Team Moonlight, vanished, there was a huge jailbreak from this place. They never did find out who caused it and have barely even located half of the escaped convicts to this day. No one knows how it happened, but security was tightened instantly."

"Sounds impossible now," Carlos grumbled. "How am I supposed to break out?"

"I don't know," Dusk said. "Wait a few days and see what your schedule is."

"Schedule?" Carlos repeated, confused.

"Yeah," Dusk nodded. "We all have a schedule that we do every single day. It dictates all of our movements and what we do all day. Some do labor to expand the prison, others are interrogated, and still others are left in their cells all day until they die. If you know where you're going throughout the day, you could probably find a way to escape this horrible place."

"Why are you telling me all this, Dusk?" Carlos asked, growing suspicious. "Criminals don't give for free. What do you want?"

Dusk smirked. "Why, nothing other than the chance to be free again."

"No way! You'll just try to kidnap me again!" Carlos argued.

"Why would I do that? The guy who ordered me to do that probably thinks I ran away or died." Dusk said. "Besides, I never asked to be a criminal! It was an accident!"

"How can being a criminal be an accident?!" Carlos demanded.

"Because I never meant to kill him!!" Dusk shouted.

Carlos fell silent, frightened by how loud the Banette had shouted. Dusk panted for breath, exhausted from shouting. Realizing the Pikachu had fallen silent, he looked up.

"What?" he growled.

"What did you mean 'you never meant to kill him'?" Carlos asked hesitantly. "Kill who? The Electrike?"

"No, it was a Skitty." Dusk said sarcastically. "_Yes_, it was the Electrike! But what do you care? An Electabuzz can't change its stripes, right? Why should you believe me, a criminal?"

"…I'm sorry. Maybe I judged you too quickly." Carlos muttered.

"That's what everyone does. Everything is based on appearance or occupation first! You never think of how they truly act until after you get to know them…if you get to know them at all." Dusk snapped.

Carlos quietly nodded.

_/Do any of you know that old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover"? It's the first thing we do to everyone and everything we see for the first time. If they act tough and pick fights, they're instantly labeled a troublemaker. If they avoid others and speak little, they're called either antisocial or shy. Stereotyping can sometimes put others in the wrong crowd. This is Dusk's problem. He killed an Electrike and was instantly branded a criminal. Did Sheriff Magnezone try to find out the story from his perspective? Obviously not. But we would later./_

Dusk sighed, feeling awkward in the silence. "You better get some sleep. The sun rises in another hour or two and we'll have to be up and at 'em by then."

"Okay," Carlos said.

The Pikachu let go of the barred window and walked over to the ragged blanket. Wrapping it around himself, he sat against a wall and shivered. His cell was cold.

"Night, Dusk," he said.

Dusk never replied. Carlos didn't mind. Curling up on the floor, he drifted off into a restless sleep.

In his dreams, he was back at the temple ruins with the Raichu and the Ninetales. This time, someone else was with them. It was a Swampert. The trio moved onward, slowly climbing the long set of stairs leading up the temple. Upon reaching the top, the Raichu pointed to a stone tablet covered in what appeared to be footprints.

For the first time since his dream of Sandra and the red Espeon, he could hear them speak. "Remember this?" the Raichu said.

"Yes," the Ninetales nodded. "How could I forget it? This place changed our lives."

"I know," the Raichu muttered. "I'm surprised we could still come here. Of course, the Rainbow Stoneship won't work. You lost the Relic Fragment when Jirachi sent us back in time, Flare."

"I wonder how everyone is back in Treasure Town," the Swampert, identified as female by the voice, commented. "How long has it been since we got trapped here?"

"I don't know, Lily. Weeks, months, maybe years. Time doesn't reveal much here." The Ninetales, Flare, looked up at a large stone tower floating in the sky. "We did nothing by going to the far past. We couldn't prevent _it_ from happening."

"I know," the Raichu said, looking at the stone tower. "We only put others in our place. I just hope they can succeed…like we did."

"Yeah," the Swampert, Lily, nodded.

"If only we could prevent the world from becoming pa—" the Raichu started, only to have a loud voice interrupt.

"WAKE UP!! IT'S TIME FOR YOU TROUBLEMAKERS TO GET TO WORK!!"

"Huh?" Carlos snapped awake, the dream broken. Sitting up, he squinted as sunlight poured into his cell from the barred window. "What's all the shouting for?"

An orange puppy with black stripes crisscrossing his body, cream tufts of fur on his head and paws, and a bushy cream tail entered the Pikachu's cell. The Growlithe glared at Carlos, holding his head high. Carlos slowly stood up.

"Funny how you didn't turn back in the middle of the night, Jealousy," the Growlithe commented.

"I'm not that Phantom Thief!" Carlos argued.

"Oh, and I'm not a member of the K-9 Police Force," the Growlithe said, sarcasm practically dripping from his words. "It's time you got up, Jealousy. You have work to do in sublevel 6. You'll be helping in the expansion of the underground prison hold today."

"Underground? You mean I have to dig?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, you have to dig. Be disgusted if you want or however women like you act. You can't weasel out of it," the Growlithe said firmly.

"I wasn't going to. I was just asking." Carlos muttered.

"Whatever. Follow me!" the Growlithe instructed. "And don't even _try_ to escape, Jealousy. Security is put on maximum and you won't even get within ten feet of the gates before you're captured. Escape is impossible."

"That's not what I heard," Carlos said.

"Well, that's what you're hearing now. Come along, Jealousy! Your workmates await you," the Growlithe chuckled.

The Growlithe led Carlos out of his cell and down the long corridor. Arriving at a huge steel door, a Machamp pulled it open with its four heavily-muscled arms. Passing through the door, they walked through another long corridor with windows lining the right side. Sunlight poured in, allowing Carlos to see outside.

And he didn't like what he saw. Pokemon of all kinds were working, either digging or carrying stuff across the open ground. The Pikachu could see a tall fence in the distance that wrapped around the whole compound. The sun was beating down on the criminals as they worked, making the conditions seem unbearable.

The Growlithe smirked. "Luckily for you, it's cooler underground. But don't get your hopes up. You'll be working out there tomorrow, Jealousy."

"It's not Jealousy. My name is Carlos." Carlos growled.

"Carlos, eh? Nice name, Jealousy," the Growlithe joked.

"What's your name?" Carlos asked.

"Well, seeing as mimicking me will do you no good, why not?" the Growlithe said. "My name is Cliff."

"Cliff," Carlos repeated. "I'll remember that for when I get out of here."

"Don't count on that happening, Jealousy." Cliff countered. "Aha! We're here!"

They had arrived at another steel door. The Machamp standing there pulled the double doors open, revealing a staircase that led down. Peering in, Carlos whimpered. It was pitch black down there.

"Come along, Jealousy, or I'll bring you to Officer Pyro for an early interrogation session." Cliff threatened.

"O-Okay!" Carlos stuttered.

Shaking off his fear, Carlos reluctantly hopped down the first step. Cliff followed him down the stairs. Only moments after they entered, the double doors slammed shut behind them. The darkness closed in, making Carlos stumble blindly.

"I can't see!" he complained.

"Too bad," Cliff replied. "Just keep walking."

Carlos kept one hand on the stone wall, which eventually gave way to dirt. Even the stone stairs became dirt after a while. Then the warmth fled, replaced by a numbing cold. Carlos squinted, trying to see through the darkness. Cliff knew his way and didn't stumble, not even once.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, a small orange light appeared up ahead. Carlos sped up slightly, overjoyed to see light again. Cliff kept his usual pace, refusing to speed up. The pair soon arrived at the bottom of the stairs and entered a huge cavern. A pair of Sandslash were seated on a crate, one of them holding a staff with a lantern hanging from the top.

One of them looked up upon seeing Carlos and Cliff. "Well, lookie here. Half-Breed brought another one down."

"It's Cliff," the Growlithe growled.

"Who's this one?" the other Sandslash asked, stifling his laughter at his friend's joke.

"Jealousy the Ditto thief. She was brought in this morning by Team Heroes." Cliff explained, still gritting his teeth. "She still hasn't reverted back to her original form. She must like disguising herself as a Pikachu."

"So, is this the real deal?" the first Sandslash asked.

"So Team Heroes says," Cliff nodded. "She tried to disguise herself as a member of Wigglytuff's Guild. Unfortunately for her, the one she disguised herself as was already in the Guild. Chatot called Team Heroes to capture her. They're certain this is really her."

"Wigglytuff's Guild? She's tried to break in there?!" the second Sandslash cried. "Are you crazy?!" He aimed the question at Carlos.

"I didn't try to break in there! I was framed!" Carlos yelled.

"Don't mind her. She's pretty intent on making herself look like a normal Pokemon." Cliff said. "Work her hard, if you will."

"Sure, Half-Breed!" the first Sandslash laughed.

"Grrrr! Shut up!" Cliff barked, dashing back up the dirt stairs.

"Geez! Touchy one, ain't he?" the second Sandslash noted.

"Of course! Ain't he always?!" the first Sandslash pointed out.

"Oh, yeah!" Both Sandslash were rolling along the floor with laughter.

_/You'll find out about Cliff's beef with the Half-Breed comment later. Now, what's about to happen next is the shocking thing. You think Dusk is the only one Carlos knows in this place? Of course not! Say 'hi' to somebody else you should all know already./_

A Cacturne appeared, glaring down at Carlos. He pointed to the other prisoners that were digging at the walls and carrying away rubble. "Get to work," he ordered.

"Y-Yes, sir," Carlos nodded, quickly dashing over. _Tomorrow, I've got to work in the sun. I can't let that happen. I've got to get out of here! But how?_

Finding a bare spot of dirt, the Pikachu started digging. He made sure to pat the dirt into the ground after digging it out of the walls, copying what most of the other prisoners were doing. As he worked through the darkness, his only light being the small lantern the Sandslash had, he never noticed the large shadow stretching over him.

Something suddenly crashed into Carlos' back, pinning him against the dirt wall. He could hear wings buzzing behind him and six legs pressed against his back. An all-too-familiar voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

"Miss me, rookie?"

_Yanmega,_ he thought.

The weight suddenly vanished, letting Carlos go. The Pikachu turned to face the very first criminal he and his teammates had defeated at Beach Cave. Yanmega smirked, his wings buzzing as he hovered there.

"W-What do you want?" Carlos asked, feigning ignorance.

"What do I want? Revenge, of course, for you throwing me in here!" Yanmega growled. "I don't know why you're here but Arceus must want me to have a bit of vengeance. And I plan to get it, rookie."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Who are you?" Carlos asked. _Please believe me,_ he mentally begged.

"Who am I? Forgot me so soon, rookie?" Yanmega taunted. "I'm the guy you beat up at Beach Cave for stealing a Blue Gummi from a stupid Graveler! Remember?"

"No, I don't! I've never met you!" Carlos denied.

"Denial won't save you, rookie. Now die!" Yanmega raised a glowing leg and brought it down upon Carlos' head.

Carlos closed his eyes, awaiting death. Instead of death, he heard a loud screech and a thud as a body hit the floor. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the Cacturne from earlier standing over them with one foot planted on Yanmega's back. He was frowning, raising a needle-covered arm threateningly.

"Buzz, that's enough. You know the rules. No attacking other prisoners," the Cacturne said coldly.

"But he got me in here!" the Yanmega, Buzz, cried.

"'He' happens to be Phantom Thief Jealousy, the Ditto thief." Cacturne said. "This form is most likely one you recognize. But realize that it is only a disguise put on by Jealousy the Ditto."

"Jealousy?" Buzz repeated. "You're joking!"

"No," Cacturne replied. "Now calm yourself or you'll be sent back to your cell with no dinner."

"…Okay, I'll be good. Now get off me." Buzz grumbled.

"Good boy," the Cacturne smirked, lifting his foot. "Work nicely," He walked away to rejoin the two Sandslash, sending the two prisoners one last warning glare.

Buzz coughed, getting up. "Sorry about that, Jealousy. I never knew that was you," he apologized. "You're welcome to use my form anytime, darling."

"Uh…okay," Carlos nodded, frightened by the Bug-type's sudden change in behavior.

"Need a hand with this digging? Maybe six?" the Yanmega offered.

"Uh…" Carlos looked down as his hands. His fingertips were already and angry red and looked ready to start bleeding. "Yeah," he nodded. "Thanks, uh…Buzz?"

"That's my name, darling." Buzz chuckled. "Move aside a bit. I'll cut through this stuff in a heartbeat."

"Okay," Carlos backed up. _Is this really the same guy who was about to kill me a few minutes ago? I guess it's a good thing everyone thinks I'm that Ditto,_ he thought, sighing in relief.

"Night Slash!" Buzz cried, tearing through rock and dirt with his six glowing legs. After a few seconds, he had a sizeable hole made in the wall. "What do you think? Much easier this way, right?"

"Yeah," Carlos nodded, smiling. "_Way_ easier, Buzz."

The Pikachu watched as Buzz tore even deeper into the dirt wall. _If Dusk and I want to get ought of this place, we'll need a way to break out of our cells. After that, we need to get past the fence. Maybe…yeah,_ he thought. _It's a long shot but if I keep this charade up, I might just pull it off._

When Buzz stopped again to take a breath, Carlos stepped forward. "Hey, Buzz. What do think of…breaking out of here?" he asked.

"Breaking out? You mean escape from the prison?" Buzz asked. "I'd love to if it were possible!"

"What if it is possible?" Carlos continued. "This Banette and I are searching for weak points in the prison to break out of, but we can't tear through rock. Then we'd need a way to get past the fence, but we can't fly."

"So, you need a strong Pokemon and a flier?" Buzz summarized. "I could do those things but they chain my legs up at night. I can't break through the chains."

"If Banette and I could get out, we could probably get you free." Carlos said. "If we did that, could you try and get us over the fence?"

"Oh, I can do more than that. I got friends in high places that can both bust you two out and rip down that fence." Buzz replied. "They just need a way to distract the guards before closing time so they can break out."

"A distraction? Like what?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know. Something to shake up the guards or something. But that's near impossible." Buzz grumbled.

"Shake up the guards? I've got an interrogation session with Officer Pyro today." Carlos said. "I could let slip a false escape plan to make them jumpy."

"Sounds like a plan, darling. Will it work?" Buzz asked.

"I don't know but let's try it anyway!" Carlos said.

"Deal!" Buzz nodded. "I'll go tell my friends, you get ready with that lie."

"Right! By nightfall tonight, we'll be out of here." Carlos promised.


	21. Chapter 20: Discoveries and False Plans

Chapter 20: Discoveries and False Plans

Sandra sighed, gratefully plopping down on her bed. She, Lucar, Luv, and Carlos had just returned from rescuing a Golem's Psyduck friend from Waterfall Cave. The mission netted them the TM Rock Slide and 20 Exploration points, putting them at 95 points total.

"What a long day!" the Eevee cried. "I'm exhausted!"

"Me, too!" Luv agreed, collapsing in her bed.

"Well, sounds like you guys had fun. I overheard Chatot saying that they would be announcing who would be going on the expedition tomorrow morning. They leave tomorrow afternoon." Joy said.

"Really?!" Sandra cried. "I hope we're picked!"

"Yeah! I want to go!" Luv said, smiling. "I've never been on an expedition before."

"Neither have I," Sandra commented. "But I know it's going to be a ton of fun!"

Carlos sighed and got up. "I'm going to take a walk."

"Aren't you tired?" Joy asked.

"No," Carlos replied.

"Are you—" Joy started.

"I'm sure!" Carlos snapped. "I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me." He turned and left the room at a quick pace.

Lucar decided now was the time to voice his suspicions. "Haven't you noticed that Carlos has been acting…odd ever since the copycat appeared?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. "He's just stressed. The expedition's coming up, after all."

"Not just that! He's been snappier and hardly helps us in fights. And he always seems to want to be away from us." Lucar said. "And that odd aura I sense coming from him is making me worried. This isn't the Carlos we know!"

"Maybe you're just tired," Sandra said.

"I was wide awake yesterday when the copycat appeared." Lucar argued. "The copycat's aura matched Carlos' perfectly! I think our Carlos is the copycat, Sandra."

"Lucar, stop it! You're just stressed out, too!" Sandra cried.

"Well…that would make a fair bit of sense." Joy admitted. "Carlos loved watching over Michael with me, but now Carlos won't even get near him."

"Admit it, Sandra. Carlos is acting weird." Lucar said.

"…Okay, maybe he is acting a bit weird." Sandra admitted. "But I'm sure he'll come around!"

"And what do you have to say about my aura-sensing skills?" Lucar asked.

"I…don't know," Sandra muttered.

"Maybe we should ask Carlos what's wrong. Maybe it is just stress." Joy said. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out and fix it. That's what friends do."

"Yeah!" Luv nodded.

"Alright then," Lucar reluctantly agreed. "We'll ask him when he gets back."

"Okay," Sandra agreed.

_/It's too bad Lucar's theory was right. I was in denial because I thought I knew Carlos well enough to notice if somebody disguised themselves as him. Unfortunately, I didn't know Carlos well enough. And my mistake would nearly end up destroying our friendship. It's a good thing Guildmaster Wigglytuff was around. Why? You'll see…/_

Meanwhile, Carlos stopped in front of Wigglytuff's chambers. _This is it,_ he thought. _All the money and treasure the Guild has ever laid hands on is hidden inside of this room. All I need to do is sneak inside, steal it, and get away before anyone notices me. This is almost too easy! So much for the impenetrable Wigglytuff Guild. This'll get me in history!_

"Carlos! What are you doing?" a voice asked.

"Huh?" Carlos turned to see Chatot hopping toward him. "Oh, nothing! I was just going to see if Wigglytuff was in, that's all!"

"Well, I'm sure he is. If you want to visit, go ahead but if he's sleeping, leave immediately. Understand?" Chatot said.

"Right," Carlos nodded.

"Well then, carry on! Oh, yes. I have another piece of information for you." Chatot added. "Forget about going on the expedition. After your failure with the Perfect Apples, I'm not certain how reliable you really are. I'm sorry but that's the truth. Don't get your hopes up about being picked to go."

"Right, Chatot. I'll make sure to tell everyone else." Carlos promised.

"Good," Chatot nodded. Turning, he hopped up the ladder and vanished to the floor above.

Carlos growled and shook his head. _What do I care about some dumb expedition? Even if there's treasure involved, I'm about to hit the mother-load here. Stupid Guild…_

Pushing open the door, Carlos entered and closed the door behind him. The Pikachu sighed in relief when he saw Wigglytuff sleeping in his chair. There was a door just behind the chair that led to the treasure room…the room Carlos wanted to break into. Slowly tiptoeing toward the door, his fur slowly rippled as he lost his shape. He was becoming a Ditto…Phantom Thief Jealousy.

As the Ditto slowly made her way toward the treasure room, a particularly loud snore from Wigglytuff startled her. Clapping her hands over her mouth, Jealousy glared at the Guildmaster. As she stepped forward, she suddenly tripped.

"Ow!" Jealousy whined. "That hurt! Stupid floor!"

Looking down, she noticed a strange blue orb behind her. It was the thing she had tripped over! Blinking curiously, she reached out to pick it up when she heard a loud yawn. Wigglytuff was waking up!

"Shoot!" the Ditto hissed, turning back into Carlos.

"Huh? Who's there?" Wigglytuff asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Just me," Carlos replied.

"Hey, where is my…? Oh! There it is!" Wigglytuff cried, jumping out of his chair and scooping up the orb. "I thought I lost it for a second!"

_So, it belongs to the pink bunny. Great,_ Carlos thought.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Wigglytuff asked. "Dinner will be soon. Did you come to say hi?"

"Uh…yeah! I came to see you, Guildmaster!" Carlos nodded.

"That's nice of you, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff cried, moving forward to hug him.

"Don't!" Carlos yelled.

"Huh?" Wigglytuff stepped back. "Is something wrong, friendly friend?"

"No," Carlos replied. _Yes, there's something wrong! You woke up when I was about to steal all of your treasure! Now I'll have to get it tonight! Urgh!_

"Are you sure?" Wigglytuff asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Just…leave me alone, okay?" Carlos growled. "See you tomorrow, sir."

"…Okay," Wigglytuff nodded.

Wigglytuff watched as the Pikachu stomped out of his room, heading down the hall to reunite with his teammates. _Carlos never yelled before,_ Wigglytuff thought. _Why is he acting so mean now? I thought friendly friend was mad about copycat Carlos, but now…_ Suddenly, Wigglytuff remembered what the copycat had said to him in the sentry tunnel.

_Wigglytuff took Chatot's place and looked down at Carlos. "I won't ever let you hurt my friend, Carlos!" he vowed._

"_Wigglytuff, please! It's really me! He's the copycat!" Carlos begged._

"_I'm sorry. Bye." Wigglytuff replied, ignoring his pleas. "Yoom…"_

"_Wigglytuff, no!" Carlos cried._

"_TAAAAAAH!!" Wigglytuff screamed, unleashing Hyper Voice._

"_WHAAA!!" Carlos screamed as the voice of the attack sent him flying down the tunnel._

Wigglytuff whimpered. "Uh-oh…I think I made a boo-boo." Tears suddenly appeared in the corners of his blue eyes. "CHATOT!!" he cried.

In seconds, the Flying-type burst into the room. "What is it?!" he asked, panicked.

Wigglytuff cried, hugging Chatot. "I made a big mistake, Chatot! Friendly friend Carlos has been acting mean ever since copycat Carlos came! I thought it would pass but it won't! Copycat Carlos was telling the truth!" he wailed.

"What?! Telling the truth about what, Guildmaster?" Chatot asked.

"About friendly friend Carlos actually being copycat Carlos while copycat Carlos was actually friendly friend Carlos!" Wigglytuff cried.

"What?!" Chatot yelped. "You think we made a mistake?"

Wigglytuff nodded. "Copycat Carlos was nice and didn't try to hurt us. Friendly friend Carlos is mean and yells at everyone."

"Carlos yelled at you?!" Chatot cried.

Wigglytuff nodded again. "I miss copycat Carlos!" he wailed, crying harder.

"Ah! Guildmaster, please don't!" Chatot begged. "Look, I'll check up on the Carlos that's in jail and see if he turned back into a Ditto. Ditto can only retain their copied forms for so long. If he hasn't, then we'll fix this mess right away. Okay?"

"Okay," Wigglytuff nodded, sniffling.

"I can't believe this! We probably had Jealousy hiding among us this whole time and we didn't know it! If that's true…oh my. Carlos might never forgive us!" Chatot fretted, hopping around. "I'll send Team Heroes to check up on this immediately! This'll be sorted out before the night is over!"

A loud ringing caught their attention. "Dinner!" Wigglytuff cried, running out of the room.

Chatot groaned. "I guess I'm on my own for the moment," he said.

Leaving the Guildmaster's chambers, he hopped up the ladder and flew away from the Guild toward Team Heroes' exploration base. Landing at the front door, he knocked with his beak and greeted Tangrowth when she answered. Entering the base, he proceeded to give the Gold-ranked Exploration Team their mission.

_Back at the Pokemon Jail…_

Carlos coughed as he left the darkness of the underground levels, sighing in relief that the sun was almost completely set. Cliff was bringing him to the interrogation center, the last place he got to go before he was returned to his cell for the night. It was time to set his plan in motion.

"Hey, I overheard Rhydon saying he was going to break out tonight." Carlos said casually.

"Impossible," Cliff replied. "I told you before, Jealousy. Escape from here is impossible."

"Are you so sure?" Carlos asked. "I heard him say that he had stolen a few items from the underground levels and that he managed to get his cuffs off last night. He's going to rush the guards tonight and break out."

"You're lying," the Growlithe accused.

"And what if I'm not? Are you really going to take that risk?" Carlos countered.

Cliff growled but carried on, his muscles tense. "…Why are you telling me this?"

_Oh great Arceus, here we go,_ Carlos thought, swallowing back his fear. He batted his eyes like a woman and smiled. "I'm telling you this because I think I like you, Cliff. Those guys are so mean, calling you Half-Breed and all. How cruel,"

"Yeah," Cliff nodded. "They've been calling me that ever since a couple of guys read my files and found out about my parents."

"How mean of them," Carlos said, making his voice sound genuinely upset. "Look, maybe you and I could work together to get them back. They'll learn to respect you, Cliff. All I ask is for you to take off these chains."

"What? Forget it! You're a prisoner, Jealousy!" Cliff snapped. "I don't need revenge to get respect from my teammates! I'm not helping you escape! Thanks for the info, though. I'll put it to good use."

"Awww!" Carlos whined. Inside, he was laughing like a maniac. _Bingo! He actually believes that's going to happen! Hah! Now that the trap's set, I just need to wait until tonight for it to spring._

"Here we are, Jealousy. Welcome to the interrogation center." Cliff said.

They had reached yet another set of double steel doors. The Machamp stationed there pulled the doors open and the scent of burnt fur reached the Pikachu's nose. Cliff shoved him forward, leading Carlos toward the far back. Another set of double doors were opened and they entered the room. Carlos was instantly sweating in his fur.

The room was big and the floor was only a big platform in the center of a lake of magma. It was so hot that even Fire-types hated to be in the room for long. Sitting in the center of the platform was a beautiful Arcanine. She was Pyro, the leader of the K-9 Police Force that served under Sheriff Magnezone. She smirked as Carlos was brought into the room, standing up.

"Well, well, well," Pyro chuckled. "Look what the Meowth dragged in. Phantom Thief Jealousy, I'm honored that you were brought to my prison. Then again, this is the only prison in the entire region!"

"I'm not Jealousy," Carlos growled.

"We'll see about that. Aren't you going to turn into a Fire-type?" Pyro asked. "It would make this less harsh on you. Or are you intent on making yourself suffer just to escape?"

"Oh, I'll escape alright." Carlos said. "I'll escape and prove that I'm not Jealousy!"

"Have fun with that," Pyro replied, smirking. "Now then, on to your interrogation. Where did you hide all of the treasure you've stolen?"

"How should I know?" Carlos countered. "I'm not her!"

A huge paw hit him, sending the Pikachu flying across the platform. The chains jerked on her wrists, stopping him just a good two feet short of the magma. Coughing, he struggled to his feet and glared at Pyro.

"Don't worry," she said. "The magma's only here to make you uncomfortable. I have no intention of allowing you to die in such a cruel fashion. Now then, where is the Sapphire Star of the Underwater Kingdom ruled by the Starmie royals?"

"The what?" Carlos asked. "Starmie royals? I've never heard of them!"

Another smack and Carlos was sent flying to the other side of the platform. "Wrong answer," the Arcanine said. "Where is the Crimson Orb you stole from the Dragonite clan of the west?"

"I don't know!" Carlos cried.

"Wrong again," Pyro replied, striking him once more. "The sooner you answer me, the soon this will end."

"Then I guess this will never end!" Carlos growled. "I don't know what any of those things are! I'm not Jealousy!"

Pyro growled, furious. "You'll talk, even if I must send you to the edge of death to do so!" she roared.

"Go ahead," Carlos dared. "But I'll die knowing I was innocent all along."

"You little—" Pyro snarled.

Carlos screamed as the Arcanine bit him, fire exploding from his back as her fangs ignited. Shaking her head, Pyro tossed him across the platform and stalked toward him. Grabbing him again, she kept throwing him around in a rage while demanding answers to questions Carlos didn't know.

_/Cruelty is Pyro's forte. She can break even the bravest of Pokemon's will and tear through even the toughest walls a Pokemon has put up around their hearts and minds. She can expose your worst fears and use them against you. She's the ultimate jailer we known of, even if she's the only one. And it's not only prisoners that are on the receiving end of her cruelty./_

Cliff and a few other Growlithe were forced to intervene after a while, telling Pyro to stop before she killed 'Jealousy' and left them with no answers at all. Cliff dragged the wounded Pikachu back to his cell, closing the door behind him. Carlos smirked anyway. He got what he wanted.

Dusk peered in from his own cell. "Man, you took quite a beating!" the Banette noted. "Did you get it, Carlos?"

"Yep," Carlos nodded, dragging himself up to peer through the door's barred window at Dusk. "One Iron Thorn,"

The Pikachu tossed it through the bars, throwing it just hard enough for it to sail through the bars of Dusk's window and into his cell. The Banette quickly snatched up the Iron Thorn, picking the locks on his cuffs with it. A loud click signaled his release and Dusk gently set the cuffs on the floor. He was free.

"Finally!" Dusk cried.

"Okay, I did my part. Now get me out, Dusk." Carlos said. "Or are you going to go back on your word?"

"Normally I would, but I'll make an exception this time." Dusk replied.

The Ghost-type phased through the walls of his cell, the nullifying effects of the cuffs eliminated at long last. Phasing through the walls of Carlos' cell, Dusk grabbed him and phased him out of his cuffs. After passing through the wall and escaping the cell, both Pokemon became solid again.

"Let's get out of here now, Carlos!" Dusk growled.

"Not yet! I've got to get Buzz out now." Carlos argued.

"Buzz? Who's Buzz?" Dusk demanded.

"A Yanmega that was the first criminal my teammates and I ever defeated. He thinks I'm actually Jealousy." Carlos explained. "While we were both in the sublevels, digging, we came up with an escape plan to get past the fences."

"All this while I was doing above ground work? Clever, Carlos," Dusk chuckled. "But why didn't you tell him who you really were?"

"He would've killed me," Carlos replied. "Where's cell 389?"

"One level below us," Dusk replied.

"Can you get us there?" Carlos asked.

"What do you think?" Dusk smirked. "Hang on tight, Carlos."

"Don't worry, I will." Carlos promised.

Grabbing the Banette's arm, the pair phased through the floor to the level below. Carlos searched for cell 389 and, upon finding it, had Dusk phase them through the door. Buzz was startled to see them suddenly appear in his cell, but relaxed upon seeing Carlos. The Pikachu grabbed the second Iron Thorn he'd managed to get his hands on in the underground tunnels.

"Here, Buzz," Carlos said, picking the Yanmega's cuffs until he freed the Bug-type's legs. "Let's get going. Rhydon should be busting out of his cell any minute now."

"Did you drop the hint?" Buzz asked.

"Yep, and Cliff believed me." Carlos nodded.

"Cliff?! Hah! You got the Half-Breed as a guard!" Buzz laughed.

"Why do they call him Half-Breed, anyway?" Carlos asked.

"He's the offspring of a Weavile and an Arcanine," Dusk replied. "As a result, Cliff is unable to use any fire-based attacks. No Ember, no Flamethrower, no Fire Blast. You get the point. He's a Growlithe with no fire to use."

"How's that possible?!" Carlos cried.

"No one knows! Let's just get out of here!" Buzz demanded.

_/You'll learn more about Cliff's story later on. This won't be the last time we ever see him or the K-9 Police Force. This also won't be the last time we see Buzz and Dusk. We always seem to have multiple encounters with people we've come across on our journeys. Fate sure is a funny thing, I'll say that much./_

"Hang on," Dusk ordered.

Buzz and Carlos grabbed Dusk, who phased them through the cell door and into the corridor beyond. Suddenly, the ground was shaking. Buzz hovered, escaping the effects of the explosion from a few floors above. The trio could hear a large amount of roaring and yelling.

"Well, well," Buzz chuckled. "Looks like it's begun! Let's get going!"

"Yeah!" Carlos agreed.

Carlos, Dusk, and Buzz ran down the corridor and burst out the row of windows in another corridor, landing in the courtyard. Prisoners of all kinds were breaking out of their cells, charging toward the fences…toward freedom.

_Outside of the Pokemon Jail…_

Team Heroes stopped at the front gates, showing their badges to the Machamp guard to prove their identities. Rhyperior groaned. It was pretty late to be sending them on a mission but it wasn't like they could refuse. This mission came directly from Guildmaster Wigglytuff himself! They had no choice but to accept, out of respect more than anything.

Rhyperior led his team down the path toward the huge prison. _Jealousy probably won't be awake,_ he thought. _What's Wigglytuff thinking? Of course we caught the real one! He's probably just being paranoid. This will put his mind to ease._

A loud rumble caught the Exploration Team's attention. Lickilicky whimpered, pointing to the prison. "Boss? I think we've got a problem," he said nervously.

"Huh?" Rhyperior looked up and stared in shock.

Prisoners were breaking out of the windows of the prison and, eventually, the entire south wall crumbled. Prisoners charged across the yard, charging toward the fence in order to escape. A flash of yellow caught Rhyperior's eye and he turned, spotting Carlos leaping out of a window.

"No way," Electivire said. "How did they…?"

"Doesn't matter! Boss, what do we do?!" Magmortar demanded.

Rhyperior couldn't speak. This mass outbreak of prisoners was even bigger than the one that happened six years ago! There was no way they could possibly stop this many prisoners at once!

"I…don't know," Rhyperior said. "I don't know,"

The five Pokemon just stood there as the prisoners attacked the gate, led by an Exploration Team leader that was mistaken to be Phantom Thief Jealousy. Carlos knew he could really be jailed for doing this…but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let a criminal ruin him and his team's lives.

_Jealousy, here I come!!_ Carlos thought.


	22. Chapter 21: The Battle for Freedom

Chapter 21: The Battle for Freedom

The prisoners rushed the fence, stopping just a few feet short of it. An Electabuzz stepped forward and punched the fence in an attempt to short-circuit the fence. The Electabuzz struggled as the electrified fence sparked, threatening to electrocute him. A few other Electric-types joined in the effort.

"We need something stronger than that!" Carlos growled.

Then he saw it. Electricity was sparking in the well placed at the center of the courtyard. Dashing toward it, he peered in and smirked upon seeing a couple of rowdy Chinchou. He had a plan now.

"Hey, mind helping us take down the fence?" Carlos asked.

"Eh? You talking to us?" one of the Chinchou asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "We're doing a jailbreak but we can't get past the fence. Mind helping us out?"

"If you guys will take us with you, it's a deal!" the Chinchou said.

"Thanks!" Carlos jumped on top of the well. "Everyone! Grab a Chinchou and throw it at the fence. They should be able to short-circuit it with the Electric-types!"

A few prisoners looked at each other in confusion. Dusk sighed and jumped up, landing beside the Pikachu. "If any of you have any better ideas, voice them now. If not, shut up and do as he says!" the Ghost-type ordered.

"He? Jealousy's a she, you nitwit!" Buzz shouted.

"Ditto are actually genderless," Dusk corrected. "That's irrelevant, though. Grab a Chinchou and let's get out of here!"

Prisoners dashed forward, grabbing Chinchou from the old well. Once they got back to the fence, they chucked the Electric/Water-types at it and watched as the fence sparked even more. Then the electricity suddenly vanished. It had short-circuited at long last.

An Onix and a Rhydon charged at the fence, ripping it apart. Buzz and a few other prisoners joined in, attacking the fence. Just as it was nearly torn down, a huge blast of fire struck the prisoners from behind. Carlos quickly whirled around, eyes wide in fear.

"Pyro!" Carlos cried.

"That's her!" Cliff barked, pointing at Carlos. "Jealousy was the one who told me about the attempted jailbreak! She had this all planned out from the beginning!"

Pyro growled, stepping forward. "Clever plan, Jealousy. I'm surprised you managed to get this far before we could react. But this is the end of the line. All of you, give up now!"

"No way!" Buzz replied. "We're almost out! No way are we giving up now!"

"Then you leave us no choice." Pyro said coldly. "K-9 Police Force! Attack!!"

An army of Growlithe surged forward, flinging themselves at prisoners left and right. Many prisoners fought back, determined to escape no matter what. Dusk had materialized his needle for his Curse and Buzz was knocking the Growlithe away with Night Slash. Sparks shot from Carlos' cheeks as a few rushed toward him…only to have a large paw hit him square in the back!

"No! Jealousy is mine!" Pyro snarled at her troops.

The Growlithe yelped, fleeing in search of others to attack. The Arcanine glared down at the Pikachu that was pinned under her paw. Carlos struggled, focusing on gathering as much electricity as he could.

"Now to finish you off. Goodbye, Jealousy!" Pyro growled, her fangs glowing a bright red as she readied a Fire Fang.

"No," Carlos coughed. "It's goodbye to you!"

Before Pyro could ask why, she howled as a Thundershock struck her. Carlos took his chance to break loose, putting some distance between him and the K-9 Police Force leader. Pyro shook her head, growling in rage.

"You little pest! I'm not letting you escape! I'm not letting _anyone_ escape!" the Arcanine declared. "Fire Blast!"

Carlos cried out in pain as a star-shaped blast of fire hit him, singing his yellow fur. Crashing to the ground, Carlos barely had time to scramble away as Pyro used Take Down. The ground cracked from the force of her attack.

Carlos stared in shock and terror. _That could've been me,_ he thought.

"Now do you know what you're up against, Jealousy?!" Pyro demanded. "Nobody will be escaping from this prison! Not today, not tomorrow, not ever!"

"That's what you think!" Carlos cried. "We'll escape! And we won't let you stop us!"

Pyro charged with Take Down, forcing Carlos to use Double Team to escape. After destroying one clone, she turned to glare at the other seven Pikachu clones. Then she opened her mouth and used Roar, sending all the clones flying backward. Each one vanished as it hit the ground until only the real Carlos was left, clutching the side of the old well for support.

Pyro panted for breath. "You know, it would be easier for you to turn into a Water-type. This battle would be all yours, Jealousy. Why stay a Pikachu?"

"Because I'm not Jealousy! I'm not a Ditto! I'm Carlos, leader of Team Legend!" Carlos yelled. "And I won't stop until I'm free and I have captured Jealousy with my own two hands!"

"Still going on about that silly tale?" Pyro asked. "You must truly be determined this time, Jealousy."

"I'm…not…Jealousy!" Carlos shouted at the top of his lungs.

His voice echoed through the prison, attracting the attention of other prisoners and the K-9 Police Force. Even Team Heroes looked up in shock. The silence was soon broken by a loud crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. There was a thunderstorm overhead. It began to rain.

"What the…? It was clear only a few minutes ago!" Cliff cried. "How can it be storming?!"

Pyro stared at the Pikachu in shock. _Could…could Jealousy have caused this storm? But how?! She's a Ditto! And even if this Pikachu is telling the truth, this shouldn't be possible! What is Arceus' name is happening?!_

"Wow! Jealousy really _is_ powerful!" Buzz cried.

"Idiot," Dusk muttered. "You really are ignorant. That isn't Jealousy."

"Yeah, it is! She said so herself!" Buzz argued.

"Then you really are a fool. That form isn't a disguise. That's really the Pikachu that defeated you and sent you here." Dusk said. "That's Carlos, leader of Team Legend. And Carlos is much stronger than any Pikachu in the entire world."

"What?! So I was right the first time! It was him!" Buzz shouted.

"Indeed," Dusk nodded. "But that doesn't matter any more, Buzz. I sense a very strong power is about to be unleashed. Help me get everyone to the fence. This may be our chance to get free."

"Okay!" Buzz flew off to complete his task.

Carlos felt his fur standing on end. _What…what's going on? All this power…it's incredible! Just like…could this be Volt Tackle?_

"Leader, what do we do?!" a Growlithe cried, looking at Pyro in fear.

"Drive the other prisoners back! I'll take Jealousy out in one hit." Pyro declared.

"You heard Pyro! Do it!" Cliff barked.

With the prisoners driven back against the far fence by Buzz and the K-9 Police Force, Pyro focused on building up her hottest flames. _This has to hit her,_ the Arcanine thought. _If my Overheat misses, it's over. My reputation and the reputation of this prison will be in shambles, just like six years ago. I don't care what plan that Phantom Thief has cooked up. I'll rip through it and show her the true meaning of fear!_

Dusk clutched his needle, ready to use it should Carlos need help. He owed the Pikachu for setting him free. He just hoped he wouldn't have to help in the end.

_/This next fight would involve Carlos using his third strongest Volt Tackle. From what I've learned, Volt Tackle can grow stronger depending on the situation. Carlos wanted to get free and save the Guild from Jealousy. But Pyro wanted to keep him in prison and eventually execute him. The outcome would decide the fate of Carlos and the prisoners…as well as the fate of Wigglytuff's Guild./_

Another loud boom of thunder summoned a huge lightning bolt that shot from the sky, aiming straight for Carlos. Dusk shouted for the Pikachu to run but Carlos didn't move. He didn't want to. As he looked up at the oncoming lightning bolt, he felt dizzy. This time, he didn't fall over as he usually did.

In his vision, he saw a female Pikachu running toward a huge dark blue dinosaur with orange stripes running along its body. A huge red gem was glowing in its chest and a blue light was building up in its jaws. The Pikachu kept running, her fur slowly becoming black and her eyes becoming red. Red electricity suddenly enveloped her body and she soared, crashing into the dinosaur's body. As she landed and became a normal yellow Pikachu again, the dinosaur Pokemon crashed to the ground.

As the vision ended, Carlos smiled. The lightning struck him, sending power surging through his tiny body. The Pikachu dropped down to all fours, electricity shooting from his cheeks unchecked. As the lightning bolt faded, Carlos was engulfed in electricity. It was almost like he was glowing.

Cliff whimpered, suddenly afraid for Pyro. "L-Leader! Forget it!" he howled. "Y-You can't win!"

"Silence!" Pyro roared. "A little light show won't scare me!"

_That Pikachu,_ Carlos thought. _She became a black Pikachu, just like the one that follows Thrax around. Could they be connected? Or…is it something different? Her electricity was red, too. What was that Pokemon she defeated? So many questions that I don't know the answers to…_

Team Heroes stared at Carlos in shock as the lightning vanished. Rhyperior turned his attention to Pyro. _This feeling…could that really be Jealousy? Pyro won't survive that attack, I just know it. It's electricity! I can't let that attack connect!_

_Done,_ Pyro thought. "This is the end for you, Jealousy!" she cried.

"No," Carlos said. "This is the end for you, for this prison, and for our imprisonment."

"As if!" Pyro laughed. "Say goodbye! Overheat!"

Carlos charged, running faster than he ever thought possible. As the Overheat approached, he sped up. Searing flames soon surrounded him, trying to roast him alive. The electricity around him fought back, keeping the flames at bay. After a few moments of running through a solid wall of flames, the Pikachu burst out of the other end and sped toward Pyro.

"Volt Tackle!!" Carlos shouted.

_No way!_ Pyro thought, suddenly in a panic. She couldn't escape.

"Oh no, you don't!" a voice bellowed.

A rock-hard arm crashed in the Arcanine's side, sending Pyro flying. As Pyro landed in the muddy ground, she turned to glare at who attacked her. Rhyperior stood there, arms crossed as the Pikachu neared him. He smirked.

"Idiot! Electric-type attacks don't work on me!" Rhyperior shouted. "You've lost!"

Carlos crashed into Rhyperior as hard as he could, pushing the Ground/Rock-type back a good foot and a half. Rhyperior grinned in victory…only to gasp as he was pushed back another foot. Then another foot, and another foot, and another foot. Slowly but surely, Rhyperior was being pushed back by the Pikachu.

"H-H-How?! That's impossible!" Rhyperior cried.

"Nothing's impossible…if you believe." Carlos said.

Rhyperior suddenly froze as the saying echoed in his head. A memory of him as a Rhyhorn flashed through his mind. A memory of when he was under the training of Team AuraSeeker's leader, his old mentor. That was his favorite saying. "Nothing's impossible if you believe, Rhyhorn." _Lucario,_ he thought.

_/You'll know more about Team AuraSeeker in the future and Team Heroes' connection to them. There's also another surprising connection between them and us! What is it, you ask? You'll have to find out later./_

That split-second was all Carlos needed to gather up his strength. Shoving his feet into the ground, he stepped back and rammed into Rhyperior's chest as hard as he could. Rhyperior gasped, coughing a small amount of blood as he was sent flying backward across the courtyard. Crashing into the fence, Rhyperior ended up ripping it apart as he crashed to the ground. The remaining fences fell apart, revealing the thick forest beyond.

The prisoners roared with joy as they charged into the forest, running as fast as they could from the Pokemon Jail. Carlos panted for breath, exhausted. Pyro and her troops stared in shock as the prison was quickly emptied of all the prisoners they had worked so hard to capture. All of that was foiled by one Pikachu.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Get that Pikachu!" Pyro shouted, snapping her troops out of their shock.

"Right away, leader!" Cliff cried.

The Growlithe troops advanced on Carlos, who was too exhausted to fight back. As Cliff prepared at strike, a loud supersonic screech echoed through the prison. The Fire-types yelped, clapping their paws over their ears. A green creature appeared beside Carlos, flapping her wings.

"Come on, Carlos! You've got to get out of here!" the familiar voice cried.

Carlos smiled. "Zuzu," he said, looking up at the green Zubat.

"Yep! That's my name, don't wear it out!" Zuzu giggled. "Now get on your feet and let's go!"

Carlos followed the green Zubat into the forest, leaving the ruined prison behind. "Zuzu, how did you find me? Why are you here?" the Pikachu asked.

"I was bored and just randomly flew around. I was flying over the prison when I heard you yelling something about not being jealous." Zuzu explained. "Then that big lightning bolt came and the prison fence was ripped apart by this flying Rhyperior! Then I saw you about to be ambushed and I decided to help out."

"I'm glad you came, Zuzu! I need to get back to Treasure Town!" Carlos said.

"Sure! Follow me!" Zuzu cried, flying higher up.

The pair kept moving until they reached the edge of Treasure Town. Exhausted, Carlos stopped to rest. His stomach was growling from not eating in two days. Zuzu happily provided him with an Apple, which the Pikachu devoured immediately.

"Hey, how come you were in prison?" Zuzu asked. "You don't look like a criminal, Carlos."

"That's because I'm not!" Carlos replied, munching on the Apple. "A Ditto thief took my place at the Guild and turned everyone against me! I've got to get there and defeat that copycat. When she turns back into a Ditto, I won't have to worry about being in jail…unless they try to charge me for destroying the prison and letting all the prisoners out."

"It's their fault for putting you there in the first place." Zuzu pointed out.

"It's that Ditto's fault for causing this whole mess at all!" Carlos growled, tossing away the Apple core. "Happen to have any Oran Berries on you, Zuzu?"

"Yep! Here you go!" The green Zubat tossed him an Oran Berry. "Good luck, Carlos. I think I'll stick around here for a bit, at least until sunrise."

"Thanks, Zuzu," Carlos said. "For everything,"

"No problem! That's what friends do, right?" Zuzu giggled.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "Hey, could you meet me at the beach before sunrise? After I win this fight, I want to ask you something."

"Okay!" Zuzu agreed. "Good luck, Carlos!"

Carlos nodded and ran toward the steps that led up to Wigglytuff's Guild. Munching on the Oran Berry, he ran up the steps and ran over the grate. Ignoring Diglett's panicked voice calling for him to come back for a footprint check, he dove through the tent flaps before the gate could come down to lock him out. He jumped down the ladder, landing on the upper level.

"Intruder alert!" Diglett cried. "Intruder alert!"

"WHAT?!!" Loudred bellowed.

_Sorry, guys,_ Carlos thought. _But this is something I've got to do._

_Lower level of Wigglytuff's Guild…_

"ATTENTION!!" Loudred bellowed. "We have an INTRUDER ALERT!! I repeat! INTRUDER ALERT!!"

"Ugh…now what?" Sandra groaned, rolling over in bed. She looked up at the window sleepily…only to see the night sky instead of a rising sun. "What the heck?! It isn't even morning yet!"

"What?!" Lucar cried, sitting up.

Joy got up and stretched. "I think Loudred said something about an intruder alert," she said.

"Intruder? At this time of night?" Lucar muttered.

"Pretty smart timing, actually." Carlos noted. _I should try that sometime,_ he thought.

Chatot hopped into their room, looking nervous. "The intruder has blocked the ladder that leads to the upper floor. He says that he wants to see Carlos…alone."

"Do you think it's the copycat again?" Sandra asked.

"No way! Jealousy's in prison." Luv reminded.

"Oh, yeah," Sandra nodded. "I forgot,"

Carlos smirked. _In jail? No way! I'm right here, you idiots! But still, who would want to see Carlos? Could it be…? No way! He'd have to be smart and strong to escape from that jail._

"Carlos, what do we do?" Sandra asked.

"What else? I'll go see him." Carlos replied.

"What?! But you could be held hostage or something! It's too dangerous!" Sandra argued.

"I'll be fine, Sandra. Trust me," Carlos said.

"…Okay," the Eevee whimpered. "Be careful,"

"I will," Carlos promised. _After I take care of this bozo, I'll break into the treasure room and get out of here!_

The Pikachu followed Chatot out of Team Legend's room, down the corridor, and into the main room. Walking toward the ladder, Carlos looked up to see an electrical field covering the entrance. Slowly climbing up the ladder, Carlos passed through the electrical field and set foot on the upper floor of the Guild.

"Oh, great! You!" Carlos growled. "I thought you were in prison!"

"Not anymore," the real Carlos said. "I've come here to stop you from stealing the treasure in the Guild. Give up now…and quit posing as me!"

"Why? Posing as you is fun, Carlos," the fake Carlos giggled.

The fake Carlos suddenly became a liquid-like pink substance, Jealousy had reverted back to her Ditto form. Carlos growled, sparks leaping from his cheeks.

"You want to fight me? Then bring it!" Jealousy dared.

"Gladly! Thundershock!" Carlos cried.

The Ditto's eyes quickly darted around the room, picking out a new form instantly. The electricity struck her, only to bounce off as the Ditto morphed into a Geodude. Jealousy grinned, cracking her rocky knuckles.

"But…how?! Don't Ditto have to see their target before they can turn into them?" Carlos demanded. "How did you become a Geodude?!"

"That's what makes me different than other Ditto. I don't need to see a living replica of my target to turn into it." Jealousy explained. "I can see a picture, like the ones of criminals on the Outlaw Notice Board, and turn into them. I can even see only part of my target's body and I can become them."

"No way," Carlos muttered.

"Yes, way!" Jealousy laughed. "Your attacks have no effect on Ground-types, Carlos. But mine have a powerful effect on you. Rock Throw!"

Carlos was jumping all over the place, trying to escape the giant rocks being hurled at him. One hit his chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing to the ground. The barrage of rocks ended. Carlos struggled to get back up.

"Tired already? I shouldn't even waste my time on you." Jealousy said.

"I won't…let you steal…the Guild's treasure!" Carlos groaned.

"You're pretty determined. I'll finish you quickly." Jealousy promised, suddenly becoming a Ditto again. "I think an Onix would do nicely here."

Seeing his chance, Carlos used Thundershock before she could morph. The Ditto yelped, curling into a ball. Then she began to change into something else. She was becoming a Charmeleon.

"How do you like me now, Carlos?" Jealousy asked, waving her flaming tail around.

"I don't," Carlos replied. "I'll defeat you no matter what, Jealousy!"

"Then come and get me!" Jealousy laughed.

Electricity and fire clashed, erupting in a cloud of smoke. On the lower level, Sandra watched as the electric field started to fade. Making sure nobody else was watching her, she started to climb up the ladder. Everyone's eyes were on the ceiling…except for a single pair of sightless eyes.

_Carlos,_ the Eevee thought. _I'm coming!_


	23. Chapter 22: Would Real Carlos Stand Up?

Chapter 22: Would the Real Carlos Please Stand Up?

Carlos coughed, waving his arms to clear away the smoke. Spotting something red building up somewhere to his left, he quickly dodged just seconds before Jealousy's Ember would've hit him. The Pikachu launched a Thundershock in retaliation, which the Charmeleon was quick to escape from.

_We're not making any progress,_ Carlos realized. _We're just attacking and dodging! I've got to get a hit on her. But how?_

"Keep your eye on the battle, Carlos!" Jealousy shouted.

Carlos snapped out his thoughts, narrowing escaping a Scratch aimed at his face. Carlos took his chance to use Quick Attack while her back was turned, only to be knocked off course by her sweeping tail. Another Ember hit the ground at his feet, making the Electric-type race away.

"Running won't save you forever!" Jealousy said. "Have a taste of my Dragon Rage!"

A huge ball of fire erupted from her jaws, hitting Carlos head-on. The Pikachu yelped, crashing into a wall. Slumping to the ground, Carlos found he couldn't move. He struggled desperately but could do nothing except watch as Jealousy walked toward him.

_I must still be weak from fighting Pyro,_ Carlos realized. _Eating that Oran Berry may have restored my health but I'm still exhausted. I was probably only delaying the inevitable!_

Jealousy smiled, kneeling beside him. "Ready to give up yet?" she asked.

"No way," Carlos panted.

"Guys like you are all the same. They just have to act like a hero. Well, guess what?" Jealousy chuckled darkly. "You're never a true hero until after you die, Carlos."

_/That saying has a bit of truth to it. Many people, Pokemon and human alike, are never really recognized for their acts until after they die. Even Carlos became a true hero after he disappeared both times. It's terrible, actually. They spend their whole lives trying to make a difference and people only realize that after those people are dead. It's sad./_

"I won't die," Carlos said.

"Oh, you will." Jealousy replied, morphing from a Charmeleon into a Pikachu. And not just any Pikachu. It was Carlos' form. "Don't worry, though. I'll dump your body in the ocean so nobody will find it. If you had just given up, I would've let you go."

"I won't die," Carlos repeated.

Jealousy ignored him, wrapping her hands around his throat. She began to squeeze, cutting off Carlos' oxygen. The Pikachu's body instantly went into survival mode, struggling under her grip to breathe. Thoughts raced through his head.

_I can't die! I have to find the guy who was with me that night! I have to find out why I'm here!_ Carlos thought frantically.

"Carlos!" a voice cried.

"Huh?!" Jealousy turned toward the ladder, giving Carlos enough time to knock her off with his tail. "Ow! You little!" she growled.

Carlos turned toward the ladder to see Sandra standing there, looking at the two Pikachu in shock. Jealousy smirked. The Eevee turned and glared at Carlos, her fur bristling. Before he could say anything, Sandra had pounced and landed on the Pikachu's chest.

"Who are you? And why are you attacking Carlos?" she demanded.

"Sandra, it's me!" Carlos cried.

"Carlos? Then…?" The Eevee looked at Jealousy in confusion.

"Don't listen to her, Sandra! That's Jealousy! She broke out of prison!" Jealousy said quickly, pointing at Carlos.

"That's not true! Yes, I broke out of prison but I'm no copycat. That's Jealousy!" Carlos argued.

"Huh?" Sandra whimpered. _What's going on? I can't tell who's real and who isn't!_

Jealousy smirked and raised her arm, revealing a deep scratch. "See, Sandra? _I'm_ the real Carlos!" she said firmly.

"Wait! What?!" Carlos yelped.

Sandra turned to Carlos, a Shadow Ball building up in her mouth. "I'm sorry, but the real Carlos went on a mission with us today. You're not him."

"Yes, I am! Jealousy's been posing as me for two and a half days, Sandra!" Carlos cried. "Please, you've got to believe me!"

"That's it, Sandra! Teach that copycat a lesson!" Jealousy cheered. "Kill him!"

_/That's where Jealousy made her big mistake. An unspoken rule among Exploration Teams involves no killing. To kill is to be no better than criminals or the wild Pokemon that dwell within mystery dungeons. The moment she ordered me to kill Carlos, I knew who was who. She had no control over me anymore./_

Sandra suddenly turned, launching the Shadow Ball at Jealousy. Jealousy yelped, knowing her cover was blown. She transformed into a replica of Sandra, taking no damage from her attack. Jealousy glared at Sandra as she helped Carlos up.

"Big mistake there, Jealousy," Carlos said.

"So what? That just means I have to silence both of you!" Jealousy growled.

"Two? You mean three!" a voice cried.

Jealousy screamed in pain as a Force Palm collided with her back. Lucar front-flipped over the fallen copycat and landed before his teammates, smiling at Carlos. The three members of Team Legend turned to face Jealousy, reunited at long last.

"I missed you," Lucar said.

"And I've missed you. All of you!" Carlos replied.

"Carlos, I'm sorry for what I said!" Sandra whimpered.

"It's okay. I probably would've done the same thing." Carlos reassured. "Let's take this thief down!"

"Yeah!!" Lucar and Sandra cried.

"So what if there are three of you now? I'll still take you all down!" Jealousy shouted.

"Just try it, Jealousy." Carlos dared. "You'll find that we're not an easy bunch to defeat."

"Then try to defeat this form!" Jealousy cried, changing from a Ditto into a Combusken. "You'll find I'm not easy to defeat, either."

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried.

"Thundershock!" Carlos yelled.

"Force Palm!" Lucar shouted.

Jealousy smirked. "Protect!"

Crossing her arms over her chest, a wall of blue light formed in front of her. All three attacks struck the shield, disintegrating instantly. Jealousy smirked again only seconds before she dove underground, using Dig.

"Careful, guys! She's planned this whole thing out!" Lucar warned.

"I kno—AAAAH!!" Carlos screamed as Jealousy struck him from below, throwing him aside. The Pikachu struggled to his feet, coughing. "Ugh…"

"Carlos!" Lucar cried, dashing toward the Combusken. "Take this! Force—"

"Peck!" Jealousy cried, her beak glowing white as she attacked. Lucar crashed to the ground, whimpering in pain.

"Guys!" Sandra cried, suddenly very afraid.

Jealousy turned toward the Eevee. "Your turn, Sandra," she said. "Double Kick!"

Sandra yelped as one kick hit her chest while the second hit her head, sending the Normal-type skidding across the floor. The trio painfully regrouped, staring the Fire/Fighting-type down. Jealousy smirked but waited patiently for them to make a move. She didn't want to spoil the fun, after all.

"What do we do? She's beating us!" Sandra cried.

"She's using our weaknesses against us. She picked the perfect form to attack us with." Lucar said. "Dig to take out Carlos, Peck to deal with me, Double Kick to defeat Sandra, and Protect to stop our attacks from connecting. She's got her strategy all rounded out. Now we just need to find a loophole. She's got to have made a mistake somewhere. We just have to think."

"Hey, don't you have an attack that can cut through Protect?" Carlos asked.

"What?" Lucar suddenly realized what he meant. "Yes, I do! I nearly forgot! If we can shatter her Protect, she won't have a defense anymore!"

"Then we have a plan?" Carlos asked.

"Kind of," Lucar admitted. "Just give me a chance to use Feint and then we can figure it out from there."

"Good idea," Carlos nodded. "Let's do it. If she tries to hit us with an attack we're weak against, try to dodge it and attack while she's recovering."

"Right!" Sandra cried.

"Let's go, team!" Carlos ordered.

Jealousy chuckled. "Coming for more? Well, here's seconds!" she laughed.

"Force Palm!" Lucar yelled, charging.

"Idiot! Protect!" Jealousy growled.

"You're the idiot!" Lucar countered. "Feint!"

"Huh?!" Jealousy yelped.

The Combusken watched in terror as her barrier shattered, the blow crashing into her chest. Jealousy stumbled back a few steps, clutching her chest with her left hand. Lucar quickly backed up, not wanting to be hit with Peck. Sandra and Carlos moved in, ready to attack now that Jealousy was injured.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried.

"Thundershock!" Carlos yelled.

"Dig!" Jealousy gasped, burrowing underground and avoiding both attacks.

"Watch it, Carlos! She'll aim for you!" Lucar reminded.

"I know!" Carlos barked, hopping around to prevent the Combusken from getting a lock on him.

Jealousy suddenly struck…hitting Lucar! The blind Riolu yelped as pain exploded through his back and then through his side as Jealousy used Double Kick to pound him into the ground. Sandra leaped forward to help, only to be smacked aside by the Combusken's right hand. The Eevee collided with Carlos, sending both Pokemon crashing to the ground.

"You clever little punks!" Jealousy hissed. "You should learn not to attack those more powerful than you!"

"You're just mad because…because we're beating you." Lucar coughed, smirking.

"Beating me? Not even close!" Jealousy shouted. Her beak began to glow. "Take this! Pe—"

"Bubble!" a voice cried.

"GAAAH!!" Jealousy leaped away from the Riolu, clutching her left shoulder.

"Hey, copycat! Leave my friends alone!" Luv the Piplup shouted, jumping up from her perch on the ladder.

"Darn it! Quit butting in!" Jealousy screamed.

"No! Earthquake!" Luv cried, stomping the ground as hard as she could.

Jealousy yelped, struggling to stay upright as tremors rocked the upper floor of the Guild. When they were over, Jealousy found herself being assaulted by more bubbles. Carlos took this chance to dash to Lucar's side, helping the Riolu to his feet.

"You okay, Lucar?" the Pikachu asked.

"I think so, but I'm definitely going to feel that in the morning." Lucar groaned.

Luv quickly joined her three teammates, glaring at Jealousy. The four Pokemon faced the Phantom Thief, ready to fight. Jealousy whimpered, backing up a step. She had lost.

_/See what a little teamwork can do to turn things around? If Lucar hadn't had Feint, we would've never landed a hit on her. If Luv hadn't appeared when she did, Jealousy might've seriously injured Lucar. And if Jealousy hadn't slipped up on talking to me, I might've lost my best friend…maybe forever./_

The rest of the Guild suddenly rushed up the stairs, surrounding Jealousy in seconds. Chatot looked at Carlos guiltily before turning his attention to the Combusken. He frowned, glaring at her.

"Phantom Thief Jealousy, we ask that you surrender immediately." Chatot said. "Team Heroes is already on their way to arrest you for the crimes you've committed."

"You really think you have me? Think again!" Jealousy laughed before burrowing into the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where'd she go?" Corphish asked.

"She came here looking for treasure," Carlos replied.

"The treasure room! Quickly, everyone! We cannot let her escape with the Guild's treasure!" Chatot cried.

The entire Guild, led by Carlos and Team Legend, raced downstairs and into Wigglytuff's room. Chatot quickly unlocked the door to the treasure room and everyone burst inside. A hole in the ceiling of the room showed how Jealousy got in. Carlos was the first to spot her.

"Stop right there!" the Pikachu shouted.

Jealousy, having taken on the disguise of a Pelipper, was shoving poke and jewels into her giant bill. Realizing she had been discovered, she shoved more treasure into her beak and flapped her wings. Managing to get airborne, she flapped toward her exit hole in a desperate effort to escape.

"Oh no, you don't!" Carlos growled, sparks shooting from his cheeks.

Carlos unleashed a powerful blast of electricity, electrocuting the fleeing Water/Flying-type. Jealousy screamed, transforming back into a Ditto and dropping all the treasure she had grabbed. When Carlos stopped, Jealousy fell to the ground in a smoking heap. She was knocked out.

"Wow! Your Thundershock's gotten stronger, Carlos!" Sandra commented.

"That's because it isn't Thundershock anymore." Lucar said. "That was Thunderbolt!"

"Congratulations, Team Legend! You've successfully defeated the real Phantom Thief Jealousy!" Chatot squawked. "Now, onto the issue of Carlos. We're sincerely sorry for thinking you were—"

"Carlos!!" Sandra cried.

"No, I was trying to say—oh my goodness! Carlos!" Chatot yelped.

The Pikachu had collapsed, unconscious from fighting both Pyro and Jealousy. While the rest of Team Legend and the Guild panicked, Wigglytuff walked back to his chair and picked up an Apple. Walking back, he hauled Carlos up and held the Apple up to him.

"Wake up, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff said. "I can't apologize if you're asleep."

"G-G-Guildmaster! That's one of your Perfect Apples!" Chatot stuttered.

"I know, but friendly friend needs it more than I do right now." Wigglytuff replied. "Wakey, wakey!"

"Hmmm?" Carlos slowly opened his eyes. "What? 'M tired."

"Eat up, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff encouraged.

_/What you're about to hear next is probably the funniest thing that's ever happened to us. And this wouldn't be the only time it would happen. Carlos rarely remembers these brief episodes that Perfect Apples put him in. Whether that's a good thing or not, I'll leave for you to decide. But hey! At least Wigglytuff gets a fellow odd friend during this./_

Carlos took the Perfect apple in his hands, not recognizing it for what it really was at first. Taking a bite out of it, he chewed tiredly…only to blink in shock and jump to his feet. Fresh energy poured into his system and sparks shot from his cheeks, shoving away the tiredness from his body. He instantly devoured the rest of the Perfect Apple at a fast pace, acting as if it was the first piece of food he'd seen in a long time. Then again, it pretty much was.

"Holy! Slow down or you'll choke, Carlos!" Chimecho cried.

Once the Perfect Apple was completely gone, Carlos grinned widely. "Wow! What was that?!" he asked.

"That was one of Guildmaster Wigglytuff's Perfect Apples," Chatot replied.

"Wow! That was great! Can I have more?" Carlos asked, talking so fast Chatot barely understood him.

"Maybe you can have more Apples in a bit." Chatot said. "Chimecho, would you mind fixing us a midnight snack?"

"Sure!" Chimecho floated off to cook food for her friends.

During the fifteen minutes it took for Chimecho to make food, Carlos was literally bouncing off the walls. Chatot explained that Perfect Apples give those who eat them almost unlimited energy and happiness. When they moved to the mess hall, Carlos joined Wigglytuff in his dance during their snack.

"Carlos, calm down!" Lucar demanded.

"But I don't want to!" Carlos whined, continuing his dance. "You should join us!"

"No thanks!" The Riolu sat down, rubbing his head. "Chatot, how long is he going to be like this? I think I prefer normal Carlos over this…hyper Carlos."

Sandra giggled. "Hyper Carlos! That's funny!"

"I guess it is," Lucar admitted.

"Well, I like him. He's a lot like Guildmaster Wigglytuff now." Luv commented.

"We already have one Wigglytuff. We don't need two!" Lucar cried.

"He should be back to normal by tomorrow morning." Chatot replied. "Since Wigglytuff eats these daily, you can see where he gets his attitude and energy from. It's almost permanent in him now, not that it was any different before he started eating Perfect Apples. Carlos might not remember much of this, though."

"Awww!" Luv whined.

"Let's just enjoy it while it lasts, Luv." Sandra said.

"Okay," Luv nodded.

Lucar suddenly found himself dragged out of his seat by Carlos, who placed an Apple on his head. "Dance!" the Pikachu cried.

"No," Lucar replied.

"Please!" Carlos begged. "Dancing's really fun and the Apple's delicious and Wigglytuff's nice and—"

"Carlos!" Lucar barked. "I swear that if you don't stop right now, I'll never let you have a Perfect Apple for as long as you live!"

"But I like them!" Carlos whined.

"I don't care!" Lucar shouted. "Now stop!"

"Sandra~!" Carlos wailed.

"Leave me out of this, Carlos. I'm just watching," the Eevee said.

"Me, too!" Luv quickly added.

"Awww!" Carlos cried.

"Golly, guys! I've got bad news!" Bidoof reported, running in from the treasure room. "Jealousy's gone!"

"She must've escaped!" Chatot declared. "Was anything stolen?"

"Nope! Everything's still there!" Bidoof replied.

"Guildmaster, what do we do now?" Sandra asked.

"We go to sleep and get ready for the expedition!" Wigglytuff cried.

"You're not even worried that she might come back?!" Chatot demanded.

"Of course I'm worried, Chatot, but she's hurt." Wigglytuff reminded. "She won't be back anytime soon."

_/We'll be seeing Jealousy again in the future. Seems we'll be seeing a lot of people again, right? Maybe we're just that lucky…or unlucky. You can decide that. Jealousy is a wild card for us, though. You can never tell what her intentions are until it's too late and if her intentions are bad…well, just pray they are never bad. You saw what happened to us. We got lucky. You might not./_

"The expedition is tomorrow? Awesome! I can't wait!" Carlos cried, dancing around even more alongside Wigglytuff.

After their snack, Carlos remained hyper for a few more hours before he finally fell asleep. Not long after, the rest of the Guild fell asleep as well. The night was peaceful…at least, it was in Treasure Town.

_In an underground lake…_

Grovyle sighed in relief as he located his second Time Gear. Stepping forward, he snatched it from its rightful place at the center of the lake and fled as time slowed to a halt. Two down, three more to go before his mission was halfway complete.

As he exited the cave, he dropped the Time Gear into his bag and look up at the moon. "Beautiful," he muttered. "Soon, everything will be like this back there. I'll make sure of it, and so will he."

The Grass-type kept moving until he sensed a familiar presence nearby. Recognizing its dark intentions, Grovyle ran as fast as he could away. Dark purple shapes with glittering eyes and sharp claws pursued him, laughing maniacally. Grovyle sent a Leaf Blade back at them, repelling them but not escaping them.

"I have no choice," he muttered, grabbing a Luminous Orb from his bag. "Activate!"

Tossing it behind him, Grovyle dove into the ground as the path was lit with an intense white light. He waited underground until he was certain the dark presence had left, taking its followers with it.

"That was too close," Grovyle noted, dragging himself out of the dirt. "I can't risk failing now. I just hope he's having better luck than I am."

He looked back up at the moon and sighed. Loneliness had tugged at his heart since he arrived here, all alone and without his companions. He prayed he would find them soon.

"Where are you…Carlos?" Grovyle asked himself.

Receiving no answer, he fled into the darkness. He had three more Time Gears to locate and steal. And he didn't have much time left to do it in.


	24. Chapter 23: Relaxation?

Chapter 23: Relaxation?

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ugh…" Carlos opened his eyes, wincing as his head pounded with pain. "Morning already?"

"I guess so," Sandra said, sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts and so does the rest of my body. Other than that, I feel great." Carlos replied. "What happened last night? After we beat Jealousy, I mean."

"Well…" Sandra was about to tell him when Lucar cut her off.

"Nothing happened. You fell unconscious and we put you to bed," the blind Riolu said. "Everyone was worried about you. Jealousy escaped, too. Team Heroes is looking for her right now."

"Oh," Carlos muttered, rubbing his head. _I feel like I'm forgetting something,_ he thought. _Weird…_

"We better go see what Chatot wants." Lucar said. "Come on, guys."

Carlos, Sandra, and Luv dragged themselves out of bed and headed to the main room after Lucar. Everyone's attention shifted to the Exploration Team for a moment before Chatot started the cheers. After that, Chatot cleared his throat for an announcement.

"Unfortunately, Team Heroes has been unsuccessful in locating Phantom Thief Jealousy. Sheriff Magnezone sends his apologies to us for the damages and all charges against Carlos have been dropped." Chatot announced. "They have sent Team Legend a Gold Ribbon as payment for the mix-up with Carlos. It should be in your storage, Carlos."

"I'll remember that," Carlos promised.

"Now then, we'd also like to apologize to you, Carlos." Chatot continued. "We treated you like a criminal because we were tricked. That does not justify our actions, though. We are sincerely sorry, Carlos."

Before Carlos could say anything, Wigglytuff suddenly hugged him. "I'm sorry, friendly friend! Please don't leave!" he begged.

"Leave? Where would I go?" Carlos asked, coughing slightly. "I'm going to stay here with my friends. It's okay, Guildmaster. I don't blame any of you."

"Really?" Bidoof asked.

"Really," Carlos nodded. "You were just protecting the Guild. I would've done the same thing in your position. At least we fixed it."

Wigglytuff put Carlos down and backed up, smiling. Carlos smiled back. Chatot quickly came up with one final announcement for the day.

"Due to the events of yesterday, the expedition will begin tomorrow." Chatot said. "But I shall still announce the names of those who will be going. When I say your name, please step forward. Of course, the Guildmaster and I are going, as are Team Skull. Loudred, Corphish, Bidoof, Sunflora, Chimecho, Croagunk, Diglett, Dugtrio, and Team Legend will be going."

"Yes!" Sandra cried. "We're going?"

"By golly, looks like everyone is going!" Bidoof said.

"Huh?" Chatot suddenly realized Bidoof was right. "Guildmaster, what's the meaning of this?!"

"I want everyone to come with!" Wigglytuff replied, smiling. "That way, we can all have fun exploring."

"T-T-Then there was no point in deciding at all!" Chatot argued.

"Yep!" Wigglytuff nodded.

"…Oh my," Chatot shook his head in disbelief.

"Poor Chatot," Carlos chuckled.

"Now then, take today to rest and prepare for the expedition tomorrow!" Chatot ordered.

Once everyone else left to relax for the day, Team Legend headed back to their room to plan out their day. Joy was glad to see Carlos interacting with Michael, finding out the details of the previous night from Sandra. The baby Minun was happy, giggling like always while sparks shot from his blue cheeks at times.

"So, what should we do today?" Lucar asked.

"How about one more mission before we leave?" Carlos suggested.

"After what happened last night?" Lucar reminded. "You really want to go on a mission after all that fighting?"

"Sitting around isn't helping us," Carlos countered. "Let's do something productive today. Besides, crime doesn't wait. Why should we?"

_/Yep, that's the Carlos we've missed for the past three days. No matter how hurt or tired he is, he'll always want to go help somebody. Even on a day of relaxation like this, he wants to do a bit of work. I guess it's rubbed off on me. I do the same thing now that he's gone./_

Sandra sighed. "Carlos has a point. If we get done quickly, then we can rest," she said.

"I could use a little work-out right now." Luv noted. "I say we do it."

"Fine," Lucar agreed. "Let's do it."

"Good luck to you guys." Joy wished.

"Buh-buh, Cawos!" Michael suddenly piped up.

The room went silent as everyone stared at the baby Minun. Michael simply smiled. The next thing he knew, Joy had scooped him up and was crying.

"He spoke! Michael spoke!" the Raichu cried. "Say it again, Michael! Say it for mommy!"

"Buh-buh, Cawos!" Michael repeated. "Buh-buh, Sanwa! Buh-buh, Wucah! Buh-buh, Wuv!"

"He's talking to us! Cute!" Sandra cooed.

"It's Carlos, Michael. Car-low-suh!" Carlos said.

"Cawlos! Carwos!" Michael tried to repeat the strange name. "Carlwos! Carlos!"

"There we go! Good job, Michael!" the Pikachu praised, picking up the baby.

For the next two hours, Team Legend taught Michael the names of his teammates and basic words. By the time they were through, Michael could speak simple sentences…even if he messed up on a few words occasionally. The four Pokemon soon headed to the upper level to search for missions to perform for the rest of the day.

"Gosh! You guys are doing missions?" Bidoof asked.

"Yep! Crime never rests, so why should we? At least, that's what Carlos said." Sandra replied.

"Well, good luck to the four of you!" Bidoof said.

"Thanks, Bidoof!" Carlos nodded. "Luv, you find anything?"

The Piplup pulled off three papers from the Job Bulletin Board. "I found three rescue missions at Drenched Bluff," she said. "We could do those."

"Sounds good. Let's do it!" Carlos cried. Then he remembered something. "Oh no! I completely forgot about Zuzu!"

"Zuzu? Who's that?" Sandra asked.

"You guys wait at the crossroads for me! I'll be back!" The Pikachu raced up the ladder and out of the Guild in a heartbeat.

"What's with him?" Luv asked.

"His aura is panicked. It must be important." Lucar replied. "Come on, guys. Let's get to the crossroads. I'm sure we'll know soon enough."

"Okay!" Sandra agreed.

_At the beach…_

Carlos skidded to a stop on the sand, looking around desperately. "Where is she?! I can't believe I forgot to meet her last night!" he wailed. "I'm such an idiot!"

He stopped beating himself up upon hearing an all-too-familiar giggle. Dashing toward the entrance to Beach Cave, he peered inside. His eyes scanned the darkness, searching for the bright green Zubat. There was no sign of her.

"Was I hearing things?" he wondered.

"Hi, Carlos!" a voice cried from behind him.

"AAAAH!" Carlos screamed.

The Pikachu whirled around to see Zuzu hanging from the ceiling, laughing her head off at him. Carlos glared at her before laughing as well. Taking a deep breath, Carlos wiped his eyes and looked at Zuzu guiltily.

"I'm sorry about last night, Zuzu. I forgot." Carlos said.

"It's okay! I didn't expect you to come, anyway." Zuzu admitted. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"Well…w-would you like to join my Exploration Team?" Carlos asked.

"Wha…? Whoa!" Zuzu gaped at the Electric-type in shock. "You really mean it? Nobody's ever asked me to stick around before. This is just…whoa!"

"Is that a yes?" Carlos asked.

Zuzu smiled. "Sure! I'd love to, Carlos!" she cried.

"Thanks, Zuzu! We're about to go to Drenched Bluff to do a few missions." Carlos said. "Want to come?"

"Do I ever? Of course!" Zuzu replied, flapping alongside him.

Carlos led the green Zubat out of Beach Cave and up the path, reaching the crossroads. Zuzu was surprised to see Sandra, Luv, and Lucar waiting for them. The trio stared at the Zubat in wonder and shock. Well, Sandra and Luv did. Lucar couldn't see that she was green and simply turned to Carlos.

"Who is your friend?" the Riolu asked.

"Guys, this is Zuzu." Carlos introduced. "She helped me get back to Treasure Town twice after Jealousy disguised herself as me. If it wasn't for her, Jealousy might've gotten away with stealing the Guild's treasure. I've asked her to join our team and she has accepted."

"Hi, Zuzu!" Sandra greeted.

"You're green!" Luv cried.

"Green? Zubat are blue, Luv." Lucar corrected.

"Not that one! She's green!" Luv argued.

"It's true! I'm one of those rare shiny Pokemon." Zuzu explained. "Unfortunately, I was thrown from my colony because I stood out too much during hunts."

"…Curse my blindness!" Lucar growled, clapping his paw over his face.

"Hey, are you really blind?" Zuzu asked.

"Is the sky blue?" Lucar countered.

"Yeah!" the Zubat nodded.

"Then you have your answer," Lucar replied. "Carlos, are we going?"

"Now we are," Carlos said. "Let's go, guys! Off to Drenched Bluff!"

It didn't take long for the five Pokemon to arrive at the mystery dungeon. Luv quickly read off the mission objectives so the Exploration Team would know what they were looking for. A Kabuto needed rescuing on the third floor, a Spinarak was lost on the fourth floor, and a Machop was trapped on an unknown floor. All three were D-ranked missions that would net them 45 points total upon completion.

"We'll have to scour this dungeon completely, guys. That Machop could be anywhere." Carlos said. "Lucar, do you think you could find him if we reached the floor he's on?"

"I can try," Lucar promised.

"Thanks. Let's save these Pokemon!" the Pikachu cried.

Being above Level 20, the wild Pokemon were considerably easier to defeat for Team Legend. Zuzu and Luv mainly focused on fighting while Sandra and Carlos followed Lucar, keeping an eye out for the missing Machop. The first two floors practically flew by and finding Kabuto was a breeze.

"Kabuto! We're here to save you!" Sandra said cheerfully.

"Thank you very much! I'll be sure to give you a good reward back at the Guild." Kabuto promised.

"Glad we could help." Carlos held out his badge, teleporting Kabuto away.

Team Legend easily defeated more wild Pokemon on their way to the fourth floor. Once there, they rescued Spinarak and sent him back to the Guild. It wasn't until they reached the stairs that they discovered somebody was following them.

"Who's there? Come out!" Carlos demanded.

"Calm down," a gentle voice said.

"Snowflake!" Sandra cried. "What are you doing here?"

The Glaceon stepped out of the darkness and made her way toward them. "I wanted to explore the nearby mystery dungeons for fun," she replied. "What a coincidence that I run into you here. Mind if I join you for a bit?"

"Sure," Carlos nodded. "Hey, have you seen a Machop anywhere nearby?"

"A Machop? I believe I saw him climb these stairs a short while ago. He must be on the fifth floor." Snowflake said. "I'll help you search."

"Thanks!" the Pikachu cried.

_/It wasn't a coincidence that Snowflake happened to be in Drenched Bluff at the same time as us. She planned it out that way. The upcoming events during the expedition would occur because she had a hand in causing them. And she'd be causing even more problems in the future, too!/_

Climbing up the stairs, Team Legend and Snowflake began their search. "So, how have things been for you?" the Glaceon asked. "I heard about the incident with Phantom Thief Jealousy. That had to have been terrible, Carlos."

"It was," the Pikachu agreed. "I was stuck in jail for a whole day and had to destroy it just to escape."

"Wouldn't you have gone to jail for destroying the jail?" Snowflake asked.

"Wigglytuff and Chatot convinced the K-9 Police Force that Jealousy had caused the destruction, not me. I'm off the hook," the Pikachu replied. "And just in time, too! Tomorrow, we're going on an expedition!"

"An expedition? To where?' Snowflake asked.

"A forest to the east that's shrouded in a thick fog," Sandra explained. "We're going to check it out with the Guild!"

"Well, I hope you have fun." Snowflake said.

Lucar's ear twitched. _Her aura…something's off with Snowflake. Her aura is burning with hatred. Why? Does she have something to do with that forest? Or is it something else?_

Snowflake's gentle smile hid a cruel smirk. _An expedition, eh? This is worth mentioning later. And even if they fail, I'll show you brats true pain when you return!_

"Oh! I think I sense Machop!" Lucar suddenly said.

"Finally!" Luv cried. "Machop! Where are you?"

"We're here to rescue you!" Sandra called.

The Fighting-type was waiting around the corner, grateful to see the Exploration Team. After they teleported him away, Team Legend used their badges to teleport themselves and Snowflake back to the Guild. As usual, they ended up in a big pile. After disentangling themselves, they accepted their rewards of a Heal Seed and 500 poke from the three Pokemon.

"Thank you for taking me with you, Team Legend." Snowflake said, smiling. "I wish you good luck on your exploration."

"Thanks, Snowflake! We'll tell you all about it when we get back!" Sandra promised.

"I'd appreciate that, Sandra. Goodbye!" The Glaceon headed back to Treasure Town to rest for the night.

Chatot smiled at the Exploration Team. "Well, it seems you have 140 Exploration Points total. Impressive!" he noted. "I expect you to be on your best behavior during the expedition. Oh, we also have a limit. Your teammates will need to stay behind, Carlos. Only you, Sandra, and Lucar, the original founders of Team Legend, are allowed to go."

"Awww! I wanted to go!" Luv whined.

"Don't worry, Luv. We'll bring you back something." Sandra said.

"Thanks," the Piplup replied. "You guys are lucky!"

"Don't worry! I'm sure you guys will get to go next time." Lucar reassured.

"I hope so," Luv muttered.

"Now then, go and get some rest! It will be a long day tomorrow!" Chatot ordered. "Chimecho will be done making dinner soon."

"Okay," Carlos said. "Let's go, guys."

The group headed back to their room, where Joy immediately noticed Zuzu's green coloring. After introducing Zuzu to Joy and Michael, Team Legend took a short nap before dinner. When Chimecho called them, they headed to the mess hall to eat dinner. Michael and Joy came along this time, allowing the baby Minun to get to know the other Guild members.

"Oh my gosh! He's so cute!" Sunflora cried.

"Thank you," Joy said. "Michael, this is Sunflora."

"Sunfwowa," Michael repeated.

"Awww! I want a baby now!" Sunflora cried.

"It's not as easy as it looks, Sunflora. This would be my second time raising a child." Joy pointed out. The Raichu suddenly fell silent as images of David ran through her head. _Please be safe,_ she prayed.

Carlos sighed, seeing the look on Joy's face. _Poor Joy,_ he thought. _She still misses David. I can't blame her. Who knows what Thrax has done to him?_

After dinner, Team Legend headed back to their room to sleep. Carlos looked out the window to see the full moon. He sighed and curled up in bed. Joy wasn't the only one who was missing someone. Sandra's older sister and her teammates of Team Yami-Hikari were still missing. None of them had been seen since their disappearances.

_Where are all of them?_ Carlos wondered, closing his eyes.

He drifted off to sleep, his dreams sending him back to the temple where the Raichu, Ninetales, and Swampert were. Only this time, there were four other shadows with them…shadows that Carlos couldn't make out properly, no matter how hard he focused.

_Elsewhere…_

"Ugh…where…am I?"

Corona the Delcatty opened her violet eyes, wincing as pain shot through her head. Her vision cleared and she could see her unconscious teammates around her. Biting through the pain, Corona struggled to stand up. Once she succeeded, she limped toward the unconscious Blake.

"Blake! Wake up! Blake!" she pleaded.

"Huh? Wha…?" The Blaziken opened his eyes. "Where...?"

"Are you okay?" Corona asked.

"I think so," Blake muttered, sitting up. "Where did Grovyle go?"

"Better yet," Helio the Pikachu interrupted, dragging himself to his feet. "Where are _we_?"

"Definitely not Treasure Town," Lune the Umbreon said, getting up and shaking herself off. "Ow! Man, that Grovyle hit me hard!"

"Blake, do you recognize this place?" Corona asked.

"Nope," Blake replied, standing up. "I've never been here before. Just where the heck did that Grovyle take us?"

"Who said he did this?" Helio countered. "We'd have to have been out for days, maybe weeks, before he could bring us somewhere that we didn't recognize. We've been all over the continent, after all!"

"Okay, okay, I get your point!" Blake barked.

Lune stepped over to a huge flight of stairs. 'This looks like some kind of temple," she noted. "Corona, should we climb this and see if we can get a better view of the place?"

"Yes," the Delcatty nodded. "Let's be careful, everyone! We don't know anything about this place."

The four members of Team Yami-Hikari climbed the long staircase. When they got closer to the top, they could hear a trio of voices. Corona signaled for her team to stop, carrying on alone. The moment she reached the top stair, she pounced and unleashed an Iron Tail upon the speakers.

A lightning bolt-shaped tail blocked Corona's attack with an Iron Tail of its own. Corona was thrown back but she twisted in midair, landing on her feet. She looked up to see a Raichu, a Ninetales, and a Swampert huddled around a stone tablet that stood upright on the ground. It was covered in footprint runes, an old language that Pokemon had used in the distant past.

The Raichu growled, glaring at the Delcatty. "You should watch who you're attacking," she said.

Blake, Helio, and Lune raced to Corona's side, falling into battle stances. The Swampert copied the Raichu's stance, glaring at Team Yami-Hikari. Just as the pair was about to attack, the Ninetales stopped them.

"How did you four get here?" the Fire-type asked.

"We were fighting a Grovyle and were knocked out." Corona replied. "When we woke up, we were here. Who are you? And where are we?"

"I think you should know us very well," the Ninetales said, smiling. "Right, Shelly?"

"Huh?" The Raichu looked at the Ninetales in confusion. "I don't know them, Flare!"

"Shelly? Flare?" Helio repeated. He looked at Corona and shock. "Those two are—"

"Team Moonlight!" Corona cried.

"You got that right!" the Raichu, Shelly, replied.

"As for where you are…" The Ninetales, Flare, walked toward the edge of the temple's top. "Welcome…to the Hidden Land."

"The…Hidden Land? That's impossible!" Blake growled. "The Hidden Land's a myth!"

"Many things are called myths. You can't deny what you see before you, though." Flare said. "This is the Hidden Land."

Corona stood by Flare's side. "…No way," she whispered.


	25. Chapter 24: Coastal Adventures

Chapter 24: Coastal Adventures

Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar stood at attention as Chatot explained their expedition in full detail. Luv, Joy, Michael, and Zuzu were back in their room, sleeping in. Carlos could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't felt so excited in his entire life!

"Our expedition will be a thorough exploration of Fogbound Lake, a location in the east that is shrouded in a thick fog." Chatot said. "Because of this fog, many claim this place to be a myth. Others claim the fog hides an incredible treasure!"

"Oh my gosh! Treasure? Wow!" Sunflora cried.

"We're going on a treasure hunt!" Carlos exclaimed.

"I hope that treasure doesn't have a booby trap, like at Waterfall Cave." Sandra said.

"Good point," Lucar agreed.

"Nobody knows the truth, though." Chatot cut in. "That is why our Guild has chosen to explore this mysterious place and find out what secrets it holds. Everyone, take out your Wonder Maps!"

Carlos dug through his Treasure Bag, pulling out Team Legend's Wonder Map. Laying it flat on the ground so his teammates could see it, he noticed a lot of cloud cover on the map. He looked up at Chatot for an explanation.

Chatot held up his map and pointed to a spot on the right side of the map. "This is where Fogbound Lake is rumored to be. It is hidden by the clouds on your map, marking it as uncharted territory. Since it is a long ways from the Guild, we'll make camp here." He pointed to a spot close to where Fogbound Lake was said to be. "Because of how far it is, we'll be splitting up to allow us to get there faster. Everyone will travel in groups of three or four, with myself and the Guildmaster being exceptions."

"Why?" Wigglytuff asked.

"You'll know in a minute, Guildmaster." Chatot said. "These will be the groups. Sunflora, Diglett, Croagunk, and Loudred will form the first group. Dugtrio, Chimecho, and Corphish will form the second group. The third group shall include Carlos, Sandra, Lucar, and Bidoof. Team Skull shall be the fourth group. And, of course, the Guildmaster and I shall travel together as the fifth group."

"Huh? Why?!" Wigglytuff whined. "It'll be boring!"

"Guildmaster, please! I'm sure the two of us will be fine!" Chatot said.

"Awww!" Wigglytuff hung his head sadly.

Carlos sighed. "Poor Wiggytuff," he said.

"By golly, I'm glad I'm going with you guys!" Bidoof cried, walking toward Team Legend. "We rookies have to stick together, yup yup!"

"Right!" Sandra agreed. "This is going to be fun!"

"It'll be a long journey, but at least we'll have each other." Lucar said.

"Let's do our best, guys!" Carlos declared.

"Yeah!" Bidoof, Sandra, and Lucar cried.

"Alright, everybody! Let's move out!" Chatot ordered.

_/Just like our first few missions, this'll be an adventure that only the three of us got to go on. No Joy to help us, no Luv to encourage us, no Michael to make us laugh, and no Zuzu to spook us. It would be just me, Carlos, and Lucar. It was supposed to just be an expedition, but it would become so much more than that. This would mark our involvement in future events…events that would change the world as we knew it. Everything was about to change, especially for Carlos. Sometimes, I wish I could've stopped it. But if I did…what would've happened to all the friends we made? Bad things, that's what. Very bad things. And not just to our friends, but to everyone on the planet./_

After saying their last goodbyes to their other teammates, Team Legend followed the rest of the Guild out of Treasure Town. Chatot gave everyone a specific course to travel on and left with Wigglytuff. Wishing each other luck, everyone split up and headed their separate ways. Carlos, Lucar, Sandra, and Bidoof headed toward the sea coast to reach the base camp.

"Hey, look at that!" Carlos said, pointing out a huge cavern at the end of the winding path they were walking on.

"Finally! We'll be away from the ocean!" Sandra whimpered, pressing herself against the rock wall on her left.

Team Legend and Bidoof were following a path that put them between a rock wall and the ocean, a thin ribbon of rocky cliff path being their only way through. Sandra refused to go at first until Carlos promised that she'd be safe. The Eevee stayed against the wall, refusing to look at the ocean far below to her right.

"What is it?" Lucar asked. Then he smacked into something. "Yow! Not another rock!"

"Wow! That's not just any rock, Lucar! That's a Kangaskhan Rock!" Bidoof cried.

"What's a Kangaskhan Rock?" Carlos asked.

"They're special rocks shaped like Kangaskhan that allow you to have access to all your items back at Kangaskhan Storage." Bidoof explained. "Nobody knows how it's done but you can store or take out any items you want from your Treasure Bag or storage. They're really useful when you want to make more room in your bag or just want to better protect an item you found. I even heard that you can find them halfway through really long dungeons. They're lifesavers for us Exploration Teams!"

"So, which way do we go?" Sandra asked.

"Straight ahead, of course! We're not turning around, Sandra." Carlos said.

"No, which way. Look at that cavern. There are two separate paths." Sandra pointed to the cave.

Carlos stepped inside and gasped. "She's right!" he cried.

"Well, that isn't good. Nope, nope!" Bidoof said. "By golly, which way do we go now?"

"Lucar, can you tell which way?' Carlos asked.

The blind Riolu shrugged, stepping forward. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises. I can't see through rock."

Lucar held out a paw and focus, his ears rising with the effort. After a few moments, he fell to his knees and shook his head. He couldn't see which way was the right path.

"Now what do we do?" Bidoof wondered.

"We'll have to guess!" Carlos decided. "How about…this way!" He pointed to his right.

"Okay, to the right it is." Bidoof nodded. "Let's go, guys!"

The four Pokemon headed to the right, entering the mystery dungeon. The first thing they noticed was that it was dark. They could only see a short distance around them, maybe two steps on all sides. Bidoof and Sandra whimpered in fear. Carlos looked at Lucar, who nodded back.

"I'll warn you guys if anything comes our way," Lucar promised.

"Thanks," Carlos said.

The first floor was pretty quiet. Carlos took this as a chance to gather 32 poke, a Rawst Berry, and 4 Geo Pebbles. When they found the stairs, disaster finally struck. Lucar yelped as a Wingull threw a Wing Attack his way. Carlos quickly defeated it with Thunderbolt and rushed to his friend's side.

"Are you okay, Lucar?" the Pikachu asked.

"Yeah," Lucar nodded. "I should've been paying better attention."

Climbing down the stairs, they fought their way past a pair of East Sea Gastrodon right away. Bidoof was holding his ground pretty well, much to Carlos' surprise. The Normal-type even dealt the finishing blow to one of them, saving Carlos from taking anymore damage.

"By golly, these guys are quick!" Bidoof commented.

"Yeah," Carlos agreed. Then he spotted a shadow creeping up on him. "Bidoof, look out!"

"Huh? AAAH!" Bidoof cried out, crashing to the ground from the Wingull's Water Gun.

Lucar knocked the Wingull out with two Force Palms. Sandra helped Bidoof up and the four Pokemon moved onward. They encountered a persistent Spheal that chased them through the whole floor until it cornered them near the stairs. Sandra and Bidoof raced down the stairs, leaving Carlos and Lucar to deal with the menace.

"I really hate these things," Lucar admitted.

"I think I can understand why." Carlos said.

The Spheal used Water Gun, making Carlos retaliate with Thunderbolt. The Ice-type yelped, backing up and using Powder Snow. Lucar raced through the attack and used Quick Attack, knocking it out. The pair ran down the stairs, reuniting with Sandra and Bidoof.

The next three floors had similar encounters with Wingull, Spheal, and East Sea Gastrodon. When they exited the cave, they covered their eyes as the bright sunlight hit them. When Carlos' vision adjusted, he gasped in shock.

"We're back where we started!" the Pikachu cried.

"You're joking!" Sandra wailed. "We took the wrong path?!"

"I guess that means we have to take the left path this time," Lucar commented.

"Golly, that was a load of bad luck." Bidoof said. "Don't worry, guys. We'll get it right this time. Let's go!"

Going down the left path this time, the four Pokemon entered Craggy Coast. The moment they stepped inside, Carlos picked up 47 poke that was lying in the middle of the room they were in. They traversed the mystery dungeon carefully, escaping the detection of a Wingull. Finding the stairs, they ran down them quickly.

On the second floor, they fought off a Spheal that managed to ambush Bidoof from behind. Knocking it away, Lucar finished it off with Force Palm and dashed after the others. Locating the stairs, Sandra picked up a Red Gummi and handed it over to Carlos, who dropped it in their Treasure Bag for safe keeping.

On the third floor, the traveling went smoothly until a fight with a Wingull separated Bidoof from Team Legend. After a while of searching, Carlos saved him from an attacking Dratini and defeated it with Quick Attack. As they continued their search for the stairs, Carlos found 5 more Geo Pebbles and used them in a fight against a Spheal.

The fourth floor was extremely easy since they were in the same room as the stairs. Unfortunately, so was a Krabby. Sandra knocked it back with Shadow Ball while Lucar used Quick Attack, their combo easily defeating the Water-type.

On the fifth floor, they were immediately confronted by a Spheal that nearly defeated Bidoof. Carlos' quick thinking of using Thunderbolt with Shadow Ball took the seal-like Pokemon out, saving Bidoof yet again. Picking up 43 poke and 5 Geo Pebbles before they left the room, they found the stairs in no time and raced down them as an East Sea Gastrodon approached from behind.

On the sixth floor, Carlos managed to grab a Purple Gummi and 72 poke before a Wingull attacked the group. A single Thunderbolt took it out, allowing them to move on. Upon finding the stairs, they also encountered their first Sealeo. While Sandra, Bidoof, and Lucar fought it, Carlos snuck in from behind and used Thunderbolt. The Sealeo fled before they could defeat it, though.

On the seventh floor, they searched for quite a distance before they were attacked by Wingull that flew over the water bordering the path they were walking on. Carlos used Thunderbolt while Lucar used Force Palm, defeating it. Carrying on, Carlos picked up a Stun Seed and dodged around a Krabby as they dashed down the stairs.

On the eighth floor, Carlos picked up a Clear Gummi and led the group through a few corridors before an East Sea Gastrodon attacked them. After defeating it, Carlos picked up an Apple and 54 poke. Traversing through a few more rooms and grabbing a Max Elixir, he defeated a Wingull in order to grab the 43 poke it was guarding. After fighting a Wingull and an East Sea Gastrodon, they reached the stairs and headed for the last floor.

On the ninth floor, the group ran into a dead end for the first time. When they turned around, Lucar was separated from the group for a short bit but managed to find them again just as Carlos found 5 Geo Pebbles and 73 poke. After defeating a Krabby, Carlos also grabbed their second Red Gummi and 42 poke. They ran into a Dratini that nearly defeated Sandra, only to have Bidoof save her while Lucar distracted the Dragon-type with Force Palm. That wasn't enough to defeat it, though.

"Darn it!" Lucar cursed. "This one's being difficult!"

"Let's tag-team," Carlos suggested.

"Deal!" the Riolu nodded.

"Double Team!" Carlos cried.

The Pikachu created copies of himself that surrounded the Dratini, cheeks sparking. The Dratini huffed and used Twister, tearing through most of the clones. Bidoof and Sandra managed to toss Lucar, who unleashed an aerial Force Palm upon the Dragon-type. Dratini cried out in pain before collapsing, unconscious.

"We did it!" Carlos cheered.

"By golly, look ahead!" Bidoof cried. "There's the stairs! We're out!"

"Finally!" Sandra sighed in relief. "All this water is scaring me."

"Are you afraid of water, Sandra?" Bidoof asked.

"Deathly afraid," the Eevee admitted.

"I never knew that!" Bidoof cried. "That won't be good if you want to be a Vaporeon, nope nope."

"Vaporeon is the _last_ form I ever want to be!" Sandra replied.

"Then what do you want to become, Sandra?" Lucar asked. "You have plenty of options."

"I…don't know," Sandra muttered.

_/Well, you all know the answer to that question. It took me a long time to decide on becoming an Espeon. If I couldn't be an Espeon, I definitely would've become a Jolteon. You can probably guess my reasoning for wanting to be an Electric-type. Evolution is a big decision to make. Once you do it, you can't go back…ever. Sure, you get stronger but you never know how your new appearance affects others. Like I said before, most people judge others by their looks and very few ever get to know the ones they judge./_

The four Pokemon left the cavern and walked along a large stone path. Stopping to rest, Carlos pulled out the Wonder Map and pointed out where they were. They were in the middle of the mountains, halfway to the base camp that Chatot had described.

"Now we just have to cross these mountains and we'll be there." Carlos said. "That should be easy enough."

"It's getting late, Carlos." Sandra pointed out. "I'm tired and hungry. How about we stop for the night?"

"I'm all for that plan! Let's eat!" Bidoof cried.

Carlos looked up ahead and spotted a familiar-looking rock. "Hey, isn't that a Kangaskhan Rock?" he asked.

"By golly, it is! Let's get to it and eat!" Bidoof said, running toward the rock.

"Wait up!" Lucar barked, running after the Normal-type.

Team Legend and Bidoof finally reached the Kangaskhan Rock, coming across yet another cavern built into the side of the mountain. Carlos knew that it was a mystery dungeon right away. Reaching into the Kangaskhan Rock, he pulled out four Apples and set them out. After Lucar's countdown, the group feasted.

After their meal, the four Pokemon watched the night sky and chatted. Carlos looked at Sandra and finally asked his question. "If you don't want to be a Vaporeon when you evolve, what would you want to be?"

"What would I be? Hmmm…" The Eevee thought it over. "Maybe a Leafeon or an Umbreon, like my sister. I don't think I could handle the heat or the cold very well, so Flareon and Glaceon are out. I might get major headaches from being an Espeon with all that psychic stuff."

"That just leaves Jolteon, right?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, but…does summoning electricity hurt?" Sandra asked.

"It doesn't hurt. It feels…kind of good, in a sense." Carlos said. "When I got hit with that lightning bolt back at the prison, I felt like I was on top of the world and nobody could beat me. I was full of so much energy, I thought I couldn't control it at all. My strength increased hundred-fold. It was…scary."

"Well, I might be a Jolteon then." Sandra declared. "If you can handle it, so can I!"

"I bet you could handle anything if you tried hard enough, Sandra." Carlos pointed out. "You just have to believe that nothing can stop you."

"R-r-really?' Sandra blushed. "Th-thanks!"

"No problem!" Carlos replied, smiling. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Y-yeah," Sandra nodded, blushing even more. _Why am I feeling like this? Could I really love Carlos? Then why can't I say it to him?_ "U-um, Carlos?"

"Huh?" The Pikachu looked at her. "What is it?"

"U-um, I…I really like Oran Berries!" Sandra suddenly cried. _What was that?! I'm too scared to tell him!_ She felt ready to cry.

"I like Oran Berries, too." Carlos said. "Funny! You and I have something in common."

_Something in common?! Could he mean...?_ Sandra blushed even more as she imagined Carlos admitting his love for her. _No way! He couldn't mean that! He wouldn't be so direct…would he?_

"Uh…Sandra? Are you okay?" Carlos asked. "You're looking kind of red. Are you sick?"

"Huh? No! I'm not sick! I'm hot!" Sandra cried. "No! Wait! Not that kind of hot! Like temperature-wise, hot! I just… Please, ignore me!"

Before Carlos could say anything, Sandra flopped down on the ground and curled up in a ball. The Pikachu groaned. Lucar chuckled, sensing the distress in the Eevee's aura. Carlos looked at him weirdly.

"Lucar, what's up with Sandra?' Carlos asked.

"She's stressed, that's all." _I'll let him figure it out on his own. Sandra deserves a chance to at least try and confess before I break it to him,_ Lucar thought. _Love is so complicated. I hope I never fall in love with someone._

_/Too bad, Lucar! You're going to fall in love eventually, too! Unfortunately, Lucar's romance will be far rockier than mine and Carlos' ever will be. You'll understand why when Lucar's love shows up later. I still feel so sorry for him, even now./_

Bidoof yawned. "Well, I'm going to bed. We'll need our strength for the journey tomorrow, yup yup."

"Yeah," Lucar agreed. "It looks like Sandra's already asleep."

"Good night, guys." Bidoof curled up and fell asleep.

"Night, Carlos. Night, Bidoof. Night, Sandra." Lucar said before falling asleep.

Carlos sighed and curled up, too. "Good night, everyone,"

He closed his eyes, falling asleep. That night, he dreamed of a strange glowing blue gear floating at the center of a lake in a cave. A figure suddenly leapt in, stealing the gear and running away. The color soon faded and everything stopped moving. Time had stopped…

_Oran Forest…_

Snowflake smiled as she entered the tiny cavern. She had waited until after the Guild had left to report back, not wanting to seem suspicious. Heading toward the back, her dark blue eyes scanned the darkness in search of her boss. It was time to set her plan into motion.

"Hello? I'm here," she called.

"About time, baby. What took you so long?" a voice asked.

"I had to wait until the Guild had left. They're going on an expedition to a forest in the east that's shrouded in fog." Snowflake explained. "Team Legend is going with them, but only the three leaders are going. Carlos the Pikachu, Lucar the Riolu, and Sandra the Eevee, in case you forgot."

"The three brats who escaped me," the voice growled. "How could I forget them? So, they're going to this place."

"Maybe you could ambush them by using the fog," Snowflake suggested. "You still want to get your hands on that Eevee, right?"

"You bet, baby! Alright, we'll go to this forest and catch those brats. The Guild won't know what hit them." The voice laughed.

Snowflake smiled. "I'm glad I could help, boss."

"There's one other thing you can do for me while me and the boys are away." The voice's owner held out a piece of paper. "Look into this for me. I want to know what happened and if I could benefit from finding this girl."

Snowflake looked over the article and smirked. "You want to kidnap the princess of the Northern Desert Kingdom, boss? Consider it looked into."

"Good girl," the voice chuckled. "Boys, we're moving out! We've got a couple of brats to catch!"

A single claw began to glow a bright purple. Three voices, Snowflake and two males, rang out in maniacal laughter. A pair of glowing red eyes watched in silence. Their plan was set.


	26. Chapter 25: High Roads and Low Roads

Chapter 25: High Roads and Low Roads

"Carlos, time to wake up," Lucar said, shaking the Pikachu.

"Ugh…what time is it?" Carlos grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"It's time to get going. We have to cross these mountains and get to base camp before it gets dark," the blind Riolu explained.

"Okay, I'm up." Carlos got up and stretched, yawning.

Carlos and Lucar rejoined Bidoof and Sandra, who were staring at the entrance with dismay. Bidoof caught Carlos' look and explained. "There are two entrances here, too!"

"What?! Not again!" Carlos cried.

"I guess we have to pick a path." Lucar muttered. "Carlos, which way?"

"Don't ask me! I was wrong last time!" the Pikachu reminded.

"We went right and were wrong. Let's try left." Sandra suggested.

"Left it is," Lucar nodded. "Let's go!"

The moment the four Pokemon entered the left cavern, they noticed it was dark…just like in the Side Path back at Craggy Coast. They had entered the Rock Path instead of Mt. Horn. They had chosen wrong…again!

"It looks like these secondary paths are dark while the main mystery dungeons aren't." Lucar noted. "Strange…"

"I guess we hurry through this and go on the right path when we get out. If this is like the Side path, it's only five floors deep." Sandra said.

"Then let's hurry, guys!" Carlos cried.

The first floor was easily traversed through, as was the second since the stairs were close by. On the third floor, the group was ambushed by a pair of Natu. Carlos managed to prevent one from hitting Lucar with Peck by tossing a Blast Seed at it, burning its feathers. The second Natu used Night Shade, knocking Carlos back a few steps. Lucar managed to knock it out with Force Palm while Carlos defeated the other with Quick Attack. Before finding the stairs, the Pikachu came across an X-Eye Seed and put it in the Treasure Bag for later use.

On the fourth floor, a Bonsly nearly knocked Bidoof out. Sandra managed to take care of it by using Sand-Attack and Shadow Ball. Picking up 45 poke and a Drought Orb, Carlos knocked a Shroomish out with Quick Attack and led his team up the stairs. The fifth floor placed them next to the stairs, allowing them a quick escape from a sleeping Natu.

"Here we are again," Carlos said, squinting as they emerged in the sunlight.

"Now we go into the right cavern. This is so confusing!" Sandra complained.

"Let's get through this. Once we're at base camp, we can rest before we start searching for Fogbound Lake." Lucar suggested.

"I'd love that, yup yup. Let's get going, team!" Bidoof cried.

On the first floor, they covered a bit of distance before being attacked by a pair of angry Ariados. Carlos took one out right away with Thunderbolt while Lucar used Force Palm on the second, nearly knocking it out. A Tackle from Sandra finished it off, allowing the four Pokemon to move on. Once they found the stairs, Carlos picked up 5 Geo Pebbles.

"There sure are a lot of Geo Pebbles lying around," Carlos noted. "We have 24 already."

"I know," Bidoof said. "Weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah," the Pikachu agreed.

On the second floor, they were in the same room as the stairs. After picking up 37 poke, the group dashed toward the stairs and ran up them. They ended up in the same room as the stairs on the third floor, too.

On the fourth floor, Carlos picked up 5 Geo Pebbles right away before leading his friends through a few corridors. They encountered a Shroomish that immediately used Absorb, draining some of Bidoof's health. Carlos hit it with Quick Attack, knocking it out before it could do anymore harm. On the next floor, Carlos blinked in shock at what he saw.

"Kecleon? What are you doing here?!" Carlos cried.

"Oh, hello! Nice to see you guys here!" Kecleon greeted.

"Bidoof, what's going on?" Sandra asked.

"You don't know? Kecleon doesn't just have a shop in Treasure Town. He puts up smaller shops in mystery dungeons to help Exploration Teams during missions." Bidoof explained. "Unfortunately, his prices tend to be high and if you're caught stealing from him, he'll call up a bunch of friends to run you down."

"We may as well see what he has before we keep going." Lucar suggested. "How much money do we have?"

"411 poke," Sandra replied. "In other words, not a lot,"

"We'll just look, Kecleon." Carlos said.

"That's fine by me," Kecleon nodded, backing up.

The items placed on the red carpet that marked Kecleon's shop was a Blast Seed, a Reviver Seed, a Yellow Gummi, a Big Apple, and a Rollcall Orb. Sandra smiled as she picked up the Big Apple, paying 50 poke for it. After thanking Kecleon, the group set off again to search for the stairs.

Not long after leaving Kecleon's shop, a Shroomish attacked them in a hallway and paralyzed Sandra with Stun Spore. Lucar knocked it out with Quick Attack. The group waited a few minutes for the paralysis to wear off, allowing them to travel again. They soon found the stairs and climbed up them. They popped up next to the stairs on the fifth floor and climbed up them, too.

On the sixth floor, the group defeated a Cascoon that attacked them right away. Its Harden made it difficult to defeat it but the team managed it. The stairs were halfway across the room and the four Pokemon climbed up them in time to avoid an Ariados.

On the seventh floor, they were cornered by an Ariados and a Parasect. The spider-like Pokemon managed to launch a Poison Sting, poisoning Carlos, while Parasect used Scratch on Sandra. Lucar aimed a Force Palm in Parasect's face, knocking it back a step before it retaliated with Stun Spore. Ariados slowed Sandra down with String Shot, tangling her paws with thread. Bidoof's Rollout managed to defeat Ariados in one hit, leaving only Parasect. A single Thunderbolt knocked it out, allowing them to flee up the stairs located in the same room.

On the eighth floor, Carlos fought a Venomoth and defeated it immediately before grabbing a Slumber Orb on the way out of the room. When they entered the next room, they saw the stairs and ran toward them. The moment they reached the stairs, an Aerodactyl appeared and charged. They screamed and ran up the stairs, escaping the Rock/Flying-type.

On the ninth floor, they found another Kecleon Shop and checked out his items. He had a Blast Seed, Pink Gummi, Red Gummi, and an Oran Berry. Sandra bought the Oran Berry, paying 50 poke for it. Running through a long corridor, they ended up in a room with the stairs, a sleeping Bonsly, and two coins. Carlos managed to pick up 80 poke and went for the rest when Bidoof accidentally woke the Bonsly up. The Rock-type managed to injure Sandra with Low Kick before Lucar's Force Palm and Carlos' Quick Attack knocked it back. Carlos, Lucar, and Bidoof attacked together with a pair of Quick Attacks and a Tackle, knocking Bonsly out. Grabbing 73 poke, they ran up the stairs.

On the tenth floor, they landed in a room with three piles of coins, a sleeping Cascoon, and an Aerodactyl. Sandra managed to grab 67 poke before Bidoof woke the Cascoon up with Headbutt. Aerodactyl and Cascoon double-teamed on Bidoof, only for Carlos to defeat Cascoon with Thunderbolt. Sandra launched a Shadow Ball at Aerodactyl, which soon fell to Force Palm and Rollout by Lucar and Bidoof. Grabbing the rest of the money, which totaled to 96 poke, they ran down a corridor. After defeating another Cascoon and grabbing an Escape Orb, they went up the stairs.

On the eleventh floor, they safely navigated through two rooms and picked up 4 Iron Thorns and a Pecha Berry before they were attacked by an Aerodactyl. The Aerodactyl used Roar to send Lucar flying across the room and then used Fire Fang on Carlos, singing hit yellow fur with burning-hot fangs. When Sandra attacked it, the Rock/Flying-type turned around and hit her with Ice Fang. Bidoof managed to distract it with Rollout, allowing Lucar to get close and knock it out with Force Palm. After they recovered from their wounds, they ran through another corridor and fried a Beautifly with Thunderbolt. After picking up 47 poke and a Drought Orb, they dashed up the stairs.

On the twelfth floor, they fought a Pineco that attempted to save itself with Protect. Lucar's Feint easily broke through the shield, causing massive damage to the Bug-type. When it tried to use Self-Destruct, Carlos knocked it out with Thunderbolt. In the next room, Carlos picked up three piles of coins that equaled 159 poke. After a bit more traveling, the team grabbed an Apple and defeated a Cascoon before heading upstairs.

On the thirteenth floor, Carlos snatched a Totter Orb and 80 poke the moment they set foot on the floor. They were confronted by a Pineco shortly after that Lucar defeated with Quick Attack. Grabbing 5 Geo Pebbles and an Apple, they were forced to fight their way through two Cascoon and an Aerodactyl to reach the stairs. The Aerodactyl temporarily paralyzed Bidoof with Thunder Fang just before its defeat, leaving the pathway to the stairs clear. But the Rock/Flying-type left an odd item behind.

"Ooh! What's this?" Sandra asked, picking up the red and silver treasure chest.

"That's a Cute Box, Sandra. There's a shop in Treasure Town called Xatu Appraisal that specializes in opening those types of boxes." Bidoof explained. "There are a bunch of different items that you can find in those boxes. Berries, seeds, gummies, and special items,"

"So, we can't open it now?" Carlos asked.

"Nope," Bidoof replied. "See? There's a lock on it. Xatu can open it for you for 150 poke a box."

"We'll make sure to open it when we get back from the expedition." Lucar noted.

"Let's get going then, guys!" Carlos cried, marching up the stairs.

On the fourteenth floor, they took out a Bonsly right away as they ran down the nearest corridor. Upon entering another room, they fought and defeated an Aerodactyl and a Pineco. Grabbing a Foe-Seal Orb and 42 poke on the way out, they kept searching for the stairs. Finding a second Foe-Seal Orb, they ran up the stairs and successfully escaped from Mt. Horn.

"We're out!" Sandra cried.

"Finally!" Carlos nearly collapsed with joy. "My feet feel like they'll fall off!"

"Wait another few minutes before you crash, guys. I can sense everyone else up ahead." Lucar said.

"By golly, we must be the last ones! Let's move it!" Bidoof yelped, racing ahead.

The four Pokemon burst into the base camp, exhausted. Chatot groaned and hopped up to them, looking annoyed. "You're late," he said.

"We're sorry, Chatot," Sandra apologized.

"No matter," Chatot replied. "Come now. We're about to have dinner and explain our current situation. Your tent is right there."

Carlos looked around and noticed that the clearing really looked like a camp. A few tents with Wigglytuff faces on them lined the small path and a few torches lit the place, though they looked hazy through the thick fog. He could barely see the other Guild members huddled near the tents. A loud ring signaled that dinner was ready. Carlos simply followed the smell of the food to dinner.

As he bit into an Oran Berry, Carlos had a strange feeling. _Weird…what's that feeling? Have I…been here before? Impossible! This is a world of Pokemon and I was human. I couldn't have been here before…right? But still…it's so familiar. But why?_

"Ahem! Attention, please!" Chatot called. "I would like to assess our current situation before we begin our exploration tomorrow morning. As you can see, we're in a densely forested area that is shrouded in a thick fog. Somewhere within this forest is Fogbound Lake. Exploration Teams of all ranks have searched for it but have been unsuccessful. Tomorrow, we shall be the ones to crack this mystery!"

"YEAH!!" everyone cried.

"Um…Chatot? May I say something?" Chimecho suddenly asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Go ahead, Chimecho." Chatot said.

The wind chime-like Pokemon took a deep breath and looked at the other Guild members. "While my group was coming here, I overheard a rumor about Fogbound Lake and why it has never been found," she said. "It is said a Pokemon named Uxie lives in Fogbound Lake…guards it, more precisely. If anyone comes upon Fogbound Lake, Uxie erases their memories and teleports them away to ensure nobody can tell of Fogbound Lake's existence. It's a very rare Pokemon, a Legendary, to be exact."

Carlos' eyes widened in shock. _Uxie can erase people's memories?! Maybe that's why this place is so familiar! I must've been here before my memories were erased!_

Sandra and Lucar looked at each other as well. _Carlos!!_ they thought.

"You're KIDDING! I don't want my memories ERASED!" Loudred cried.

"Oh my gosh! That's just scary!" Sunflora whimpered, shuddering in fear.

"Everyone, calm down!" Chatot yelled, silencing the Guild members. "Of course a mysterious place like this would have a myth or legend to explain it. It's our job as explorers to search through this place and separate fact from myth. We've been through far more frightening places than this!"

"Hey, hey, hey! But how many involved possibly losing our memories?" Corphish asked.

"None, but we got through all of those places. We can get through this, too!" Chatot encouraged.

"Chatot's right!" Diglett said. "That myth might not even be true! We can do this, guys! No legend is going to scare me away!"

"YEAH!!" everyone cried…except for Carlos.

_What if it isn't just a legend? If this is true…!_ Carlos whimpered.

"Now then, we'll explain our plan tomorrow morning! Everyone, finish eating and get some rest. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow!" Chatot said.

Everyone hurriedly finished easting and dispersed to their tents. Team Legend entered their tent in silence, the legend Chimecho spoke of echoing in their heads. Unable to sleep, Sandra turned to look at Carlos. The Pikachu was staring at the tent wall, still in shock.

"Carlos?" the Eevee asked hesitantly.

"Hmmm?" Carlos replied.

"Are you okay?" Sandra asked.

"…No," Carlos muttered. "I think…I know this place. Uxie…may have erased my memories. But I…don't know why."

"You think Uxie really did that to you? Why?" Lucar asked. "What reason would Uxie have to do that?"

"To protect Fogbound Lake," Sandra replied.

"That doesn't explain how you became a Pokemon, Carlos." Lucar reminded. "I don't think Uxie could turn you into a Pokemon."

"But...my memories," Carlos muttered.

"If we find Uxie, we'll ask." Sandra said.

"Your memories will be erased, like mine!" Carlos argued, sitting up. "If you see Uxie, run!"

"Not if we can help you, Carlos." Sandra countered. "I'll risk losing my memories if I can discover why yours were erased."

"Sandra," Carlos said softly.

_/Even as a cowardly Eevee, I could talk big if I wanted to. I don't really know if I could've actually carried that promise out, though. But I'd sure try…because Carlos means the world to me. Luckily, I wouldn't have to. For that, I'm glad./_

"We better get some sleep, guys. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Lucar finally said, lying down. "Good night."

"Good night," Sandra said, yawning before curling up in bed.

"Good night," Carlos repeated.

Carlos stayed up long after his two teammates fell asleep. He couldn't get his mind off of the legend Chimecho spoke of. _Did Uxie really take my memories? If so, why? Did I see Fogbound Lake at one point before I became a Pokemon? But then, how did I become a Pokemon to begin with? I have so many questions…and no answers._

Closing his eyes, the Pikachu fell asleep. In his dream, he was back at the temple with the three Pokemon and those strange silhouettes. One of the silhouettes sounded familiar but Carlos couldn't place it. The Ninetales mentioned a place called the Hidden Land before looking up at a floating tower. It was beginning to crumble…

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

Loudred's voice ripped through the dream, preventing the Ninetales from explaining the tower. Carlos sat up and grumbled. Lucar and Sandra were rubbing their ears, wide awake from Loudred's yelling.

"Morning already? I wanted to sleep more!" Sandra complained.

"We have to search for Fogbound Lake today, remember?" Lucar reminded.

"Oh, yeah," the Eevee nodded.

"Let's go hear what Chatot has to say before we get going." Carlos suggested.

"Okay," Sandra agreed.

Team Legend soon joined the rest of the Guild outside to receive their orders. Chatot and Wigglytuff were waiting for them, wide awake. The Guildmaster was gnawing on a Perfect Apple. Sandra nearly laughed as she remembered the fruit's effects on Carlos only a few days ago.

"The Guildmaster and I shall remain here while the rest of you scour the surrounding forest." Chatot explained. "Your task is to find any clues that may lead to the discovery of Fogbound Lake. The reason Fogbound Lake has eluded discovery for so long may be because of this fog. While you explore, see if there's a way to lift this fog. If you succeed in either task, report back to the Guildmaster and me. Understood?"

"UNDERSTOOD!!" the group cried.

"Good! Now off you all go! Good luck!" Chatot wished.

"Try your very best, friendly friends!" Wigglytuff added.

Skuntank smirked, turning to look at Koffing and Zubat. "Let's get moving, boys! Chaw haw haw!" he said.

"Sure! Heh heh heh!" Zubat chuckled.

"We'll find it, Chief! Whoa ho ho!" Koffing vowed.

"We better!" Skuntank snapped. "Now move out, Team Skull!"

Carlos glared as the trio entered the forest. Turning back to his team, Carlos forced a smile. "We better start looking, too! Let's go, guys!" he cried.

"Let's properly prepare first, Carlos." Lucar suggested. "There's a Kangaskhan Rock right there. Better safe than sorry, after all,"

"Oh, yeah! I knew that!" Carlos said, walking over to the oddly-shaped rock.

After depositing all the items they wouldn't need, the trio waved goodbye to Wigglytuff and Chatot before setting off into the forest. They found themselves at a fork between two paths. Lucar chose left and Team Legend moved along that path. A single thing became clear to them.

"There's no fog," Sandra commented.

"We must be on Forest Path instead of Foggy Forest. We picked wrong…again." Lucar confirmed.

"Man! Why do we have such bad luck?!" Carlos cried.

"Let's speed through this and get out of here. We can't have the others getting ahead of us, right?" Sandra suggested.

"Right! Let's hurry, guys!" Carlos said, marching onward.

On the first floor, Carlos knocked out a Kricketot right away with Quick Attack. Grabbing a Blast Seed and 32 poke, the Pikachu lead his team in search of the stairs. Upon finding them, Lucar knocked a Houndour out with…Rock Slide?

"Where did you learn that?!" Carlos cried.

"When Jealousy was posing as you, we did a mission and received a Rock Slide TM as a reward. I decided to use it," the Riolu replied.

"…Oh," Carlos muttered.

The next three floors were easily traversed through as they came across Kricketot, Houndour, Pinsir, and the occasional Dunsparce. On the fifth floor, they were attacked by a pair of Swinub and a Linoone that were guarding the stairs. Lucar's Force Palm caused big damage to Linoone, only to have the Normal-type retaliate with Switcheroo to trade places with Sandra. The Eevee yelped as the Force Palm hit her.

"Whoa! Sorry!" Lucar apologized.

"It's okay," Sandra whimpered, rubbing her nose. "I think I'm bleeding…"

Lucar turned around, punching the Linoone in the face. "Take this!" he cried, calling upon Rock Slide to defeat the Normal-type.

"Guys, a little help!" Carlos yelped, dodging a Mud-Slap from one of the Swinub.

The second Swinub used Powder Snow, successfully freezing Lucar in a block of ice. Sandra used Quick Attack on the first one, knocking it out. Carlos and Sandra then double-teamed on the second one, defeating it together. After they waited a moment, the ice melted and Lucar dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

"C-c-cold!" the blind Riolu cried, teeth chattering.

"The stairs are right here, Lucar. Let's get out of here and you can warm up." Carlos promised, hauling Lucar to his feet.

The trio climbed the stairs, escaping from Forest Path and reappearing back in the base camp. Lucar warmed his paws by a torch until he felt ready to carry on. Preparing their items for a second trip, Team Legend entered Foggy Forest to search for Fogbound Lake.

"Ooh! What's this?" Sandra picked up a bright red rock that was lying on the side of the path. "Whoa! Carlos, come feel this! It's warm!"

Carlos reached out a hand and touched the rock, surprised to find that it was indeed warm. "Wow! You're right!"

"What are you going to do with it, Sandra?" Lucar asked.

"I'll keep it, just like with my Relic Fragment!" the Eevee declared. "It's pretty, too!"

After dropping the warm rock into the Treasure Bag, the trio turned to face the thick fog that shrouded Foggy Forest. Carlos led his two friends into the fog…not only to find Fogbound Lake but possibly unlock his lost memories. As they walked deeper into the fog, they never noticed a trio of Pokemon following their every step, the leader's violet claw lighting the way.


	27. Chapter 26: The Fog's Secret

Chapter 26: The Fog's Secret

Team Legend entered Foggy Forest and was immediately surrounded by a thick fog. Carlos' cheeks sparked in response to all the moisture in the air. Sandra stayed close to the Pikachu, warily keeping an eye out for any dark shapes in the fog. Lucar lifted a paw, sensing his surroundings.

"Carlos, I should probably tell you this before you start blasting our enemies with electricity," the blind Riolu said. "Thanks to this fog, your Electric-type attacks will only do half damage."

"What?! You're joking!" Carlos cried.

"I wish I was, honestly. Just be careful." Lucar warned.

"Okay," Carlos muttered. _This stinks! I guess it's back to Quick Attack and Double Team…at least until we get out of this stupid forest._

On the first floor, they were forced to fight a Dunsparce right off the bat. After Lucar knocked it out with Force Palm, a second Dunsparce snuck in from behind and hit Carlos with Rage. Sandra managed to grab a Blast Seed off the ground while the wild Dunsparce picked up 29 poke. Carlos used Quick Attack and the Dunsparce, terrified, tried to flee.

"Hey! Get back here!" Carlos shouted.

The Pikachu threw a Geo Pebble at the Normal-type, only to watch in shock as it missed. Sandra's Quick Attack managed to knock it out, allowing the retrieval of both the Geo Pebble and the 29 poke the Dunsparce tried to take. Picking up a Heal Seed, the trio headed for the stairs when a Smeargle appeared. Lucar used Force Palm while Carlos unleashed a weakened Thunderbolt, knocking it out.

"Hey, it's not as weak as I thought." Carlos commented.

"Well, your Electric-type attacks are stronger than that of an average Pikachu." Lucar reminded. "That's probably because you're a human. But I don't think you'll be getting any one-hit knock-outs with just a bit of electricity, Carlos."

"I know," Carlos said. "Let's keep going, guys!"

On the second floor, they did a bit of walking before they encountered a Cherubi in one of the corridors. The Grass-type struck first with Tackle, only to be forced back by Sandra's Shadow Ball. A Quick Attack by Carlos defeated it, allowing them to move on. In the next room, the Pikachu picked up 47 poke before climbing up the stairs.

On the third floor, they managed to cover a lot of ground before a Smeargle jumped them. Lucar defended the group with Force Palm, only for Sandra to feel the pain when Smeargle used Sketch to copy the Fighting-type move. Carlos' Quick Attack knocked it out, saving Sandra from anymore pain.

"What was that?!" Carlos demanded.

"Sketch," Lucar replied. "It's the only move Smeargle knows and it's a one-use-only technique. It copies the last move a Pokemon uses. It's pretty annoying."

"Are you okay, Sandra?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, I think so." The Eevee slowly stood up. "My chest hurts but I should be fine."

"Good," the Pikachu replied, smiling. "I'm glad you're okay, Sandra."

Sandra blushed. _He…he really cares about me! Wow…_

Carlos poked his head around the corner and sighed in relief. "The stairs are right there, guys. Let's go for it!"

Team Legend quickly left the corridor, narrowly avoiding an encounter with a Zigzagoon. Crossing the room, Carlos picked up 32 poke and stood guard as Lucar and Sandra headed up the steps. The Pikachu soon followed, barely escaping a Dunsparce on his way.

On the fourth floor, they found the stairs quickly but were forced to fight a Pachirisu to reach them. Lucar's Force Palm did quite a bit of damage but the squirrel-like Pokemon was tough, lashing out with Spark. Carlos's Quick Attack stopped it, almost knocking it out. A Shadow Ball from Sandra defeating the Pachirisu and the trio ran up the stairs.

On the fifth floor, a Hoothoot intercepted them as they dashed through a water-lined hallway. Carlos knocked it back with Quick Attack, leaving Lucar to finish it off. At one point, they saw the stairs across a strip of water from the corridor they were in. Though it took a while, they succeeded in reaching that room and grabbing the Black Gummi before leaving the floor.

On the sixth floor, they managed to outrun a Hoothoot but were eventually cut off by a Buneary. It hit Sandra with Frustration, using Endure to survive Lucar's Force Palm. The bunny-like Pokemon then used Pound to hurt Carlos, only for Lucar to defeat it with a second Force Palm. Only moments later, they were cornered by another Buneary and a Zigzagoon.

"How smart are these wild Pokemon?!" Carlos asked.

"Not very but they can come up with plans to catch food," Lucar replied, hitting the Buneary in the face with Force Palm. "Darn it! Not Endure again!"

Zigzagoon hit Carlos from behind with Headbutt, causing the Electric-type to use Thunderbolt as a reflex. The Buneary fell to the ground in a smoking heap, unconscious. Lucar turned and hit Zigzagoon with Force palm, knocking it out. A Stantler quickly caught up with them, only to be knocked out by Lucar's Counter when it used Stomp. Picking up the Reviver Seed the deer-like Pokemon had dropped, they ran toward the stairs. Grabbing three piles of coins that totaled to 101 poke, they dashed up the stairs.

On the seventh floor, they ran through a few corridors and battled a Skiploom that got in their way. The Grass-type poisoned Lucar and paralyzed Sandra, leaving Carlos to knock it out with Quick Attack. After handing the Riolu a Pecha Berry and waiting for Sandra to recover, they went on their way again in search of the stairs. Picking up 37 poke and an Oran Berry, Lucar knocked out a Buneary. Grabbing 59 poke, the trio headed upstairs.

On the eighth floor, they defeated a Buneary and took the Max Elixir it was holding. Reaching the next room, Carlos picked up an Embargo TM and headed for the stairs. They got up them just in time to escape from a Noctowl.

On the ninth floor, they dashed across the room toward the stairs. Running up them, they barely escaped a charging Stantler. Carlos ate an Oran Berry, exhausted from fighting and hungry from all the walking.

On the tenth floor, they fought their first Noctowl. Lucar made sure to keep his distance, using Rock Slide to try and pin its wings to the ground. The Flying-type used Hypnosis to put Sandra to sleep, using Sky Attack on Carlos. The Pikachu refused to give up, summoning as much electricity as he could. He took it out with one Thunderbolt and waited for Sandra to awaken. Once she was up, Carlos grabbed 47 poke and led an attack against an incoming Breloom. It used Tackle, nearly knocking Lucar out. Sandra's Shadow Ball defeated it

"Man, I'm getting tired!" Carlos complained.

"Here," Lucar handed him an Apple. "Only one more floor and we're out of here. Let's do it."

"…Okay," Carlos bit into the Apple and stood up, ready to lead his friends once again.

Lucar and Carlos combined Rock Slide and Quick Attack to take down a Skiploom that tried to get in their way. Picking up a Rollcall Orb and an Escape Orb, Lucar's Force Palm knocked a Buneary out and let them hurry onward. In the next room, they tiptoed past a sleeping Zigzagoon and defeated a Buneary with only Geo Pebbles to stop it from waking the Zigzagoon up. After defeating another Buneary and collecting 37 poke, the trio climbed up the stairs to the final floor.

On the eleventh floor, they were jumped by a Skiploom and a Pinsir the moment they arrived on the floor. The Pinsir used Seismic Toss to throw Carlos over its shoulder, allowing Skiploom to use Leech Seed on Lucar to drain his health. Sandra used Shadow Ball to blast the Grass-type away, saving her friend from losing too much energy. Together, they all hit Pinsir with Quick Attack and knocked it out.

"Yes! That'll show him who's boss!" Carlos cried.

"Yeah!" Sandra nodded, smiling.

"Let's find the stairs, guys. I want to get out of this fog." Lucar said.

"Right! Let's search, guys!" Carlos ordered.

Running down a nearby corridor, they were cornered by a Buneary and a Zigzagoon. Lucar and Carlos knocked them both out, picking up the Heavy Box the Buneary had dropped. Grabbing 4 Sticks and a Thunder Wave TM in the next room, they fought a Noctowl in the halls. Carlos' Thunderbolt successfully defeated it, allowing them to keep searching. Upon reaching the room containing the stairs, Team Legend once again took down a Pinsir with a Triple Quick Attack and raced up the stairs toward freedom.

Leaving Foggy Forest behind, the trio stopped on a grassy path lined with water. Huge waterfalls fell on both sides, spraying them with water every once in a while. Sandra stared at the waterfalls in shock.

"Wow! They're beautiful!" the Eevee cried.

"There sure is a lot of water here," Lucar noted. "In almost every dungeon we've been in so far, there's been some source of water."

"Is this as far as we can go?" Carlos wondered, looking around. "Can we go any farther, Lucar? I can't see what's up ahead through the fog."

The blind Riolu lifted his paw, sensing auras up ahead. "I think we can go a little farther. Watch your step, though. We don't want to end up going back to camp soaked."

"Right!" Carlos chuckled.

Team Legend kept moving forward, listening to the roaring waterfalls on either side of them. For a moment, Carlos was certain the water was speaking. Then he realized he was wrong. It wasn't the water. It was a Pokemon's voice!

"Hey, hey, hey! Over here, you three!" a voice cried.

"Corphish!" Sandra cried, dashing toward the Water-type. "You got here, too?"

"Yeah, just a little bit ago." Corphish nodded. "You guys find anything?"

"No," Carlos replied. "Just forest, fog, and this place. Did you have any luck?"

"Maybe," Corphish said. "Come and look at this. I can't figure it out at all."

The red lobster-like Pokemon led them to the end of the path, stepping away as they reached a large stone block. It was tilted sideways on the ground, the bottom edge buried in the dirt. A strange beast was carved from the top section of the stone, hunched over and displaying its sharp claws. There was a hole in its chest.

"What is it?" Lucar asked. "I can't see, remember?"

"Groudon!" Sandra cried. "That's a statue of Groudon! But what's it doing out here?"

"I don't know," Corphish shrugged.

"Um…what's a Groudon?" Carlos asked hesitantly.

"Groudon is a Legendary Pokemon," Lucar replied. "It's said to have formed the very earth we walk upon millions of years ago. Its counterpart, Kyogre, created the seas at the very same time. The two Legendaries fought, nearly destroying everything they created. Rayquaza, creator of the skies, put an end to their fighting and both fell into a deep sleep. There has been no sigh of them ever since but rumor has it that eruptions and tsunamis mark their snores in their eternal slumber."

_/Unfortunately for us, none of the Legendary Pokemon were slumbering. Much later, we'd end up encountering them. Soon, we'd see a pair of Legendaries. One fake, one real. The fake would help us against another foe…kind of. You'll know why soon enough./_

"Scary!" Carlos yelped.

"Hey! There's something written on it!" Corphish said, pointing out writing on the side of the cube.

"What does it say?" Sandra asked.

"It's in footprint runes. It says…" Corphish squinted, trying to decipher the cracked writing. "Reignite the life that burned within Groudon…then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat…the path to treasure shall be revealed."

"Reignite the life within Groudon?" Carlos repeated.

"Treasure! Chatot was right!" Sandra cried. "There is treasure here! And this state may be the key to finding it!"

"Do you think so?" Carlos asked.

"I'm almost positive!" the Eevee replied. "Carlos, touch the statue. Maybe what you see will help us figure out what to do now."

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you two talking about over there?' Corphish asked.

"You'll know soon enough," Lucar said.

Carlos swallowed back his fear and reached out, touching the statue. The dizziness overcame him and the Pikachu collapsed, the vision hitting him. Only this time, there were no pictures…just words. "This is it! It's here!" a voice cried.

"Carlos! Are you okay?" Corphish's voice asked.

"Did you see anything?" Sandra asked, helping Carlos up.

"Not see…heard…" Carlos muttered, rubbing his head. _Why do I have to get so dizzy during those visions?_

"Heard what?" Lucar asked.

Before Carlos could reply, his vision began to fade again. _What? Another one?!_ This time, he heard more from the voice. "I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's chest! That's what lifts the fog! Very well done! Good job, partner!" the voice cried.

Carlos blinked and found himself flat on his back. Corphish, Sandra, and Lucar were looking down at him worriedly. The Pikachu slowly sat up, rubbing his head. "Two," he said. "I had two visions this time!"

"Two? What were they?" Sandra asked.

"Voices," Carlos replied, panting for breath. "Put the Drought Stone in Groudon's chest to lift the fog."

"The Drought Stone? What could that be?" Lucar wondered.

"Groudon's chest…? Wait! Could it mean the statue?" Sandra bounded back to the statue. "It has to be! It has a hole in its chest! Funny…that shape looks familiar somehow."

Carlos ignored what they were saying. _That voice…why does it seem so familiar? I'm not even sure I heard it right. Who could it be? And who is this partner they mentioned? Weird…_

"Carlos!" Sandra cried, snapping the Pikachu out of his thoughts. "What's a Drought Stone?"

"How should I know?" Carlos countered. He examined the hole and suddenly recognized the shape. "That red stone you found before we entered Foggy Forest, Sandra! I bet that's it!"

"Huh? Really?" Sandra asked.

"I'm certain! The shape matches!" Carlos replied.

"If we put the Drought Stone in the statue's chest, the fog will be lifted." Lucar muttered. "Maybe with the fog gone, we'll be able to find Fogbound Lake!"

"Let's give it a shot! Sandra, the Drought Stone!" Carlos said, holding out a hand.

"If it'll help our expedition succeed…here," Sandra held out the warm red stone.

_/I still kind of wish I could've kept the Drought Stone. It was pretty and warm. Red has recently become my favorite color, too. But if I hadn't given it up, we would've never seen that beautiful sight and made a new friend. Even if I miss it, I know it's doing a good thing by clearing the fog. Every now and then, I go to see that old statue. It's a peaceful place to be when you don't have much to do all day long./_

Grabbing the Drought Stone, Carlos gingerly pushed it into the hole in the statue's chest. It fit like a charm! The statue's eyes suddenly began to glow red, causing the Pikachu to quickly back off. Then the ground began to shake, making everyone drop to the ground.

"E-e-earthquake!" Sandra cried.

"Not only that!" Carlos shouted, pointing to the statue. It was beginning to glow. "Run!"

Team Legend and Corphish ran down the path as fast as their legs could carry them. The statue suddenly became a huge ball of white light, sending them flying the rest of the way down the path. Carlos covered his eyes, waiting for it to be over…

Minutes passed before Carlos felt someone shaking his shoulder. It was Lucar. "Carlos, the earthquake's over. What happened?" he asked.

The Pikachu opened his eyes and sat up. "Whoa! The fog!" he cried. "It's…it's…"

"It's what?!" Lucar demanded.

"Gone," Sandra replied. "The fog's gone."

"Hey, hey, hey! You're right!" Corphish agreed, looking around. "It's almost like it was never here!"

Sandra smiled, looking up. "I'm glad to see the sky aga—Whoa!"

"What?" Carlos asked.

"Look up, guys! I think I found Fogbound Lake…or at least where it might be!" the Eevee cried.

The four Pokemon looked up and gasped. A huge plateau rose out from the forest, waterfalls cascading down from it. It was a beautiful sight. Corphish was the first to break his gaze, turning to face the other three.

"Hey, hey, hey! This isn't the time to be sight-seeing!" the Water-type said. "If Fogbound Lake's really up there, we've got to report back! You guys see if you can find an entrance or something. I'll head back and bring everyone else here."

"Okay, Corphish!" Carlos cried. "Good luck!"

"Good luck to you, Carlos! I'll be back soon!" Corphish scuttled away, running through the forest toward base camp.

Carlos smiled, turning to face his teammates. "You heard Corphish. Let's get going!" he cried.

"Yeah!!" Sandra and Lucar cheered.

"Hold it right there, wimps!" a voice shouted.

"Oh no!" Sandra whimpered.

"Team Skull!" Carlos growled. "What are you doing here?!"

"Looking for Fogbound Lake, of course!" Skuntank replied. "You didn't think we'd really let you find it before us, did you? That treasure's ours!"

"Not if we get to it first!" Lucar countered.

"Sorry, but you're not leaving this spot!" Skuntank said, smirking. "Koffing, let's give them another taste of our noxious gas special combo!"

"Whoa ho ho! Gladly, Chief!" Koffing laughed, floating beside Skuntank.

"Oh no! Not again!" Sandra yelped.

"You're not getting us this time! Run, guys!" Carlos cried.

Zubat suddenly swooped in, blocking their exit. "Heh heh heh! I don't think so, wimps!" he cackled. "You three are staying put!"

"Out of our way, Zubat, or I'll fry you!" Carlos threatened.

"Ooh! I'm so scared!" Zubat laughed, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Chaw haw haw! Koffing, let's end this!" Skuntank ordered. "Noxious gas special com—"

"Wait! Come back!" a voice cried.

"Huh?" Skuntank turned. "Who's there?!"

Wigglytuff suddenly burst out of the bushes, chasing a Perfect Apple. The Perfect Apple rolled to a complete stop in front of Carlos, allowing the Normal-type to finally stop running. The Guildmaster scooped up the fruit, smiling.

"Yay! I finally caught up to you, my sweet Perfect Apple!" Wigglytuff cried, placing the Perfect Apple on his head.

"G-G-Guildmaster! W-what are you doing here?!" Skuntank asked.

"Huh? Me?" Wigglytuff pointed to himself. "Well, I was dancing around with my Perfect Apple when it suddenly fell off my head. It started to roll away, so I chased it. But it kept rolling and rolling and rolling, so I kept running and running and running after it. Then I finally caught up to it and ended up here!"

Carlos smirked. _Perfect! Those brutes wouldn't dare attack us while Wigglytuff's around! Looks like luck's on our side today!_

"Oh! Why are you guys standing around?" Wigglytuff asked, looking at Team Legend. "You should be looking for Fogbound Lake, not bothering other friendly friends! Off you go, Team Legend!"

"Uh…okay?" Carlos led Sandra and Lucar away, breathing a sigh of relief. _Thank you, Arceus…_

"I hope we get some god news soon!" Wigglytuff proceeded to continue dancing, humming to himself.

Skuntank groaned. "I think we'll get exploring too, Guildmaster."

"Huh? Why? You guys look tired. Take a break!" Wigglytuff insisted. He returned to dancing and humming.

"Tired?" Zubat repeated. _We haven't even done anything yet! How can we look tired?!_

"Chief, what do we do?" Koffing asked, looking at Skuntank. "I'm getting really freaked out by him."

"If he won't leave, we'll take him out." Skuntank replied.

"Take him out?!" Zubat yelped. "You're joking! He's not famous for nothing, Chief!"

"Look, I've seen how he acts." Skuntank argued. "He's just a fat, lazy, spoiled Wigglytuff! We can take him!"

"If…if you say so, Chief." Koffing muttered.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zubat whimpered.

"Shut up and stand back," Skuntank ordered. "On three, Koffing. One…two…"

_/A word of caution, my dear listeners. Never underestimate Wigglytuff. Sure, he looks like a big, huggable, weakling but he didn't get his reputation for nothing. He's far stronger than he looks. He's the definition of 'don't judge a book by its cover'. When we graduated, we got to see his true strength in battle. Even now, I respect him greatly. Auraline, Lucar's daughter, came up with the ultimate saying for Guildmaster Wigglytuff. "Bow down to the big pink bunny."/_


	28. Chapter 27: Through the Steam and Flames

Chapter 27: Through the Steam and the Flames

"Hey, guys! Look at that!" Carlos cried. "I think I found an entrance!"

"Finally! We've been searching for a while!" Sandra complained. "My paws hurt!"

"Hey, is it just me or is it getting warmer?" Lucar asked.

"You're right, Lucar!" Carlos realized.

Team Legend came to a stop at a large hole in the side of the plateau, watching as steam shot from the top of the cavern. The pools of water lining the path were bubbling and the air was heavy from the heat. A Kangaskhan Rock was off to the side of the entrance, ready for usage.

"Look at that steam!" Carlos pointed out. "It must be really hot in there."

"If we want to find Fogbound Lake, we have no choice but to pass through here." Lucar said. "Heat usually signals the presence of Fire-type Pokemon."

"Luv would be really useful here," Sandra whimpered.

"But Luv isn't here, Sandra." Lucar reminded. "We'll have to fight through them on our own. Let's use the Kangaskhan Rock and get rid of anything we don't need. Then we can see what we have that could be useful."

"We're almost there, guys. We're going to find Fogbound Lake, something nobody else has ever found before! My heart's racing with excitement!" Carlos cried.

After depositing most of their items into the Kangaskhan Rock, they put a few Oran Berries, Sleep Seeds, Rawst Berries, an Escape Orb, an X-Eye Seed, a few Max Elixirs, three Apples, and 5 Geo Pebbles into their bag. Lucar grabbed a Wonder Orb and dropped it into the bag at the last second, confusing Carlos.

"What's that?" the Pikachu asked.

"A Slumber Orb," Lucar replied. "We might need one. I would've preferred a Rainy Orb, but we don't have one yet."

"Wait! You can see Wonder Orbs?" Sandra asked.

"Most Wonder Orbs have a small amount of aura that signals what kind it is," the blind Riolu explained. "Not all Wonder Orbs do, though."

"Oh," Carlos replied.

"That should be everything. I think we're ready to go." Sandra said.

"Then let's go. Steam Cave, here we come!" Carlos cried.

The three members of Team Legend entered the cave, immediately noticing the change in temperature. The three Pokemon following them hesitated before entering the cavern, staying hidden before taking a separate path. They planned to reach the top floor before Team Legend and ambush them there. Unfortunately, the trio of stalkers had no idea what awaited them on the top floor of Upper Steam Cave.

_Back at the Groudon statue…_

Team Skull hadn't moved in ten minutes since Skuntank declared they would fight Wigglytuff. The pink rabbit-like Pokemon had ceased his dancing and, seeing the looks on the trio's faces, chose to make funny faces back. Zubat and Koffing were ready to bolt.

"Chief!" Koffing whined. "What're we doing? Are we going to beat him up or something?"

"Yeah, this is just too freaky! Let's just get it over with!" Zubat begged.

"Be quiet, you idiots!" Skuntank growled. "This isn't as easy as it looks! You can't just jump him and hope for the best!"

"Why not? That's what we always do!" Koffing pointed out.

"Chief, let's just beat him or let's get out of here! I don't want to be here with him anymore!" Zubat whimpered.

"Fine," Skuntank grumbled. "Let's end this! Hey, Wigglytuff!"

"Huh?" Wigglytuff blinked, letting go of his ears from the funny face he had been making. "What's the matter, friendly friends? Are my faces not funny enough?"

"No hard feelings, Wigglytuff, but you're going down! Koffing!" Skuntank cried.

"Finally! Let's do this and get out of here!" Koffing said, drifting forward.

"Take this! Our noxious gas special combo!" Skuntank yelled.

Wigglytuff just stood there in shock as a huge cloud of gas hit him, making him curl up in a ball. Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat laughed…unaware of their fate.

_/You'll see what happens to Team Skull soon enough. It's not pretty. I actually feel sorry for them…but just a little. Too bad we wouldn't actually know what happened to them until much later. Poor guys…/_

_Back in Steam Cave…_

On the first floor, Carlos picked up 72 poke and ended up leading his friends into a dead-end right away. After finding another path to take, they fought against a Kricketune that drained some of Lucar's health with Leech Seed. Carlos' Quick Attack knocked it out. After a while of walking, they climbed up the stairs.

On the second floor, the tiptoed around a sleeping Kricketune and picked up an Oran Berry on their way out of the big room they had appeared in. Going down a corridor, they quickly found the staircase and grabbed a Foe-Seal Orb. Before going upstairs, Carlos stopped and looked at the water lining one side of the room.

"Even in a hot and dark mystery dungeon like this, there's water," the Pikachu noted. "This place sure is weird."

"Carlos, come on!" Sandra cried.

"Coming!" Carlos dashed up the stairs after his friends.

On the third floor, they grabbed a Hurl Orb before going down a hallway and encountering a Magby. Just before Sandra defeated it, its Ember caused Carlos to gain a bad burn. Continuing onward, Carlos winced as his burn pulsed with pain.

"Fire-types are known to inflict a burn status on some foes with their Fire-type attacks. Sandra, how many Rawst Berries do we have?" Lucar asked.

"Only two," Sandra replied, lifting up a pair of light blue berries.

"Not good," the Riolu muttered. "This won't be the first time we'll get burned, either. Carlos, you think you can hold out until we find the stairs? We should save our Rawst Berries for emergencies."

"Yeah, I think so." Carlos nodded.

"Okay," Lucar said. "Let's keep searching, Sandra. We've got to find the stairs!"

Upon reaching the next room, Lucar defeated a second Magby to prevent it from burning them, too. Sandra pointed out the stairs and the trio ran up them, grabbing 43 poke on the way. Carlos' burn was healed immediately, much to his relief.

On the fourth floor, they fought a Snubbull that was easily taken out by Lucar's Force Palm. Going through a few more corridors, a Kricketune ended up shoving Sandra into the water and warping her elsewhere on the floor. Upon being reunited, Carlos electrocuted a Kricketune that was chasing her and prevented the Eevee from fainting. Grabbing the Dainty Box the Bug-type had dropped, Carlos quickly collected the Yellow Gummi and the Apple lying on the floor before continuing on. They defeated a third Kricketune and grabbed a Max Elixir before running up the stairs.

On the fifth floor, Sandra's Quick Attack caused an attacking Snubbull to flee the moment they arrived on the floor. Lucar defeated it with Force Palm and grabbed an X-Eye Seed. They traveled uninterrupted for a while until a Slugma ambushed Sandra from behind and hit her with Rock Slide. Carlos hit it with Thunderbolt while Sandra used Shadow Ball, knocking it out. They fought a Numel only a short time later that hurt them all with Magnitude. Lucar's Rock Throw and Sandra's Quick Attack knocked it back, allowing Carlos' Thunderbolt to defeat it. A Farfetch'd struck directly afterward and was knocked out by Lucar's Counter. Grabbing a Heal Seed, they dashed up the stairs.

On the sixth floor, a Slugma hit them with Yawn and successfully put Carlos to sleep before Sandra defeated it, gaining a burn in the process. The Eevee at the Heal Seed, curing herself, and waited for Carlos to awaken. Once he did, they grabbed an Oran Berry before continuing their search for the stairs. A Kricketune jumped them from behind, only to be knocked out by Lucar's Quick Attack. Grabbing the 72 poke it dropped, they located the stairs and defeated the Snubbull guarding it before racing up them.

On the seventh floor, they found the stairs right away. They climbed them quickly, escaping from a Yanma to the last floor of Steam Cave.

On the eighth floor, they grabbed a Special Band and slipped around a sleeping Snubbull to the corridors beyond. After traveling for a while, they grabbed a Clear Gummi and defeating a Yanma that struck in the room next door, defeating it easily. Grabbing a Yellow Gummi, they climbed up the stairs in the next room.

Team Legend entered a large empty room with a Kangaskhan Rock at the center. There was a cavern on the other side of the room that no doubt led deeper into Steam Cave. Carlos sighed in relief as he saw no enemies, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"Finally! Can we rest now?" he asked.

"I think so," Sandra said. "This must be one of those resting points my big sister told me about. In some dungeons, there's a floor with no enemy Pokemon and a Kangaskhan Rock so you can restock your items. They're really useful."

"Thank Arceus!" Lucar cried, sitting down. "My paws are burning from walking on that hot ground."

"How much further until we reach the top?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know," Sandra shrugged. "Probably not very far. We've come a long way, after all."

"I hope so," the Pikachu groaned. "Let's eat! I'm starving!"

"We may as well since we're here." Lucar commented.

Pulling out three Apples, the trio ate happily as they rested in the empty room. After devouring his Apple, Carlos pulled out the Special Band he had found. It looked nice, almost like it shouldn't be in a mystery dungeon.

"What's wrong, Carlos?" Lucar asked, noticing how the Pikachu's aura seemed confused.

"What's this?" Carlos asked.

"Oh, that's a Special Band. It raises your Special Attack." Sandra explained. "In your case, it would increase the power of your Electric-type moves."

"Wow!" Carlos cried. "Hey, you said we can each hold one item to power ourselves up, right? I think I'll hold this for a while."

"Okay," Sandra replied. "Not that your electricity is strong enough, of course."

"Hey! You never know when I might need a little boost!" Carlos snapped.

"Isn't your Volt Tackle a big enough boost?" Lucar joked.

"I can't control when I use that!" Carlos cried.

"You could've fooled us," Sandra giggled.

"Grrrr! You guys are mean!" Carlos huffed, crossing his arms.

"Hey! Cool it, Carlos! We're just joking!" Lucar reassured.

"Could've fooled me," Carlos mocked.

"Hey! Now that's being mean!" Sandra whined.

"Now you know how I felt." Carlos said.

A moment of silence passed before the three Pokemon burst out laughing. Their laughter was quickly ceased when the room shook briefly, followed by a loud roar. Carlos and Sandra yelped, hugging each other in fear while Lucar jumped to his feet, backing up a step. Waves of fear pulsed from the Riolu's body, alerting Carlos to Lucar's fear as well.

"GROOOOOOOH!!"

"What's that?!" Sandra yelped.

"I don't know," Carlos replied, shuddering in fear. "But it sounds like it's coming from up ahead."

"Could it be Uxie?" Sandra asked.

"I don't think so," Lucar argued. "Uxie is a small pixie-like Pokemon. This sounds like a giant Pokemon!"

"Whatever it is, it's probably blocking the way to Fogbound Lake." Carlos realized. "We'll have to get past it if we want to move on."

"Do we have to? Can't we wait for the others and then find out what it is?' Sandra suggested.

Another roar, much louder than the first, echoed through the room. "GRROOOOOH!!"

"It's definitely near the top!" Lucar confirmed, looking up at the ceiling. "Whatever it is, I think it knows we're here…and it doesn't like that."

"Whether it likes it or not, we have to keep going." Carlos said. "Are you guys ready?"

"I guess," Sandra whimpered.

"Sure," Lucar shrugged, repressing a shudder. "Why not?"

"Then let's go!" Carlos cried, leading them toward the other cavern.

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"Waah!" Sandra screamed.

"Yep! It's definitely not happy that we're here!" Lucar cried.

"We have to be brave, guys. Together, we can do anything!" Carlos insisted.

"Y-yeah! You're right!" Sandra agreed.

"Let's stick together and see what's up ahead. We're an Exploration Team, after all." Lucar added.

"You hear that, whatever you are? We're not scared of you!" Carlos shouted at the ceiling.

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"I don't think it's scared of us, either." Lucar said.

"Then we're even," Carlos replied. "Here we go!"

"To Fogbound Lake!" Sandra cried.

"To Uxie and treasure!" Lucar yelled.

_To possibly uncover my lost memories,_ Carlos mentally cried.

_/The source of the roaring wasn't the only thing at the top that wasn't afraid of us. Our three stalkers were waiting there, too. And none of them were afraid of us, either. A lot of strange things were going to happen at the top of Steam Cave. You'll know what they are soon enough./_

On the first floor of Upper Steam Cave, they picked up a Green Gummi and dashed down a corridor before fighting a Yanma. Carlos' Thunderbolt knocked it out, attracting the attention of a Granbull. Lucar's Force Palm injured it, allowing Sandra and Carlos to use a Double Quick Attack to knock it out. Reaching a room that contained the stairs, they picked up a Red Gummi, a Reviver Seed, and 80 poke before running up the stairs.

On the second floor, Carlos grabbed a Purple Gummi right away and led his friends down a few hallways. Upon finding the stairs, they were attacked by a Magmar that managed to burn Lucar. It used Smokescreen to blind them, only to have Carlos use Quick Attack and knock it back. Lucar took that chance to grab the Apple and 37 poke on the floor. After Sandra defeated the Magmar, they went up the stairs.

On the third floor, they were attacked by a Kricketune that was easily dispatched by Carlos' Thunderbolt. After defeating a Magmar in the hall, Team Legend found the stairs in the next room and climbed them.

On the fourth floor, they grabbed 67 poke and knocked out a sleeping Illumise right away. After a long trek through a few corridors, a Magmar ambushed them and used Faint Attack to hurt Sandra. Lucar's Force Palm and Carlos' Thunderbolt defeated it, allowing them to keep moving. Grabbing 72 poke in the next room, they tiptoed past a sleeping Magmar and defeated a second Illumise that succeeded in separating Lucar from the group. Carlos and Sandra found the stairs quickly and dashed up them, reuniting with Lucar.

On the fifth floor, Carlos picked up 54 poke and let Lucar knock out a Shuckle that attacked them. Grabbing a Slumber Orb, the trio searched for the stairs. After running through a large amount of halls, they found the room with the stairs in it. Grabbing a Stamina Band, a Transfer Orb, and a Royal Gummi, they ran up the stairs.

On the sixth floor, they were attacked by a Magmar and a Granbull. Lucar dealt with the purple dog-like Pokemon by himself, leaving Sandra and Carlos to deal with Magmar. Two Quick Attacks and a Thunderbolt did it in, allowing the trio to keep moving. Picking up a Cheri Berry, they went through a few hallways and grabbed 4 Iron Thorns. They fought a Volbeat that managed to confuse Carlos, making him attack Sandra. Lucar defeated it with Force Palm, bring the Pikachu back to his senses.

"Sandra! Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"I'm fine," the Eevee replied. "You didn't hit me that hard."

"I'm really sorry!" Carlos cried.

"It's okay, Carlos. You didn't mean it." Sandra reassured.

"Really?" Carlos asked.

"Really," Sandra nodded.

"Thanks!" Carlos hugged her.

Sandra blushed before hugging him back. Lucar chuckled before reluctantly reminding them where they were. The Pikachu and the Eevee quickly parted, moving onward through the sixth floor of Upper Steam Cave.

An Illumise attacked them directly afterward and was defeated by Carlos' Thunderbolt and all five of their Geo Pebbles. Passing through a large amount of passageways, they grabbed 4 Iron Thorns and ran up the stairs to the final floor.

On the seventh floor, they defeated a Magmar and grabbed both an Oran Berry and the Dainty Box the Magmar had before heading into the halls. They found the stairs quickly and climbed up them, avoiding an encounter with a Shuckle that had just entered the room.

"Where…are we?" Sandra asked.

"I think this is the top," Carlos replied.

They were in a large room that narrowed out into a passageway further ahead. Team Legend was wary, knowing the source of the roaring had to have been in here somewhere. Seeing no sign of the cause, they relaxed a little. The air in the room was tense, almost as if warning the trio of danger. They kept their guard up, searching as they moved onward.

"I think we're okay now, guys." Carlos finally said. "Maybe we scared away whatever it was."

"Whatever _what_ was?" an all-too-familiar voice asked. "Because if you mean us, you're dead wrong!"

"AAAH!!" Sandra screamed.

Carlos whirled around, coming face-to-face with Thrax the Toxicroak. Standing on either side of the criminal was Raptor the Staraptor and the black Pikachu, Thrax's two henchmen. Lucar growled, falling into an attack stance. Carlos and Sandra copied him, knowing that encountering Thrax usually meant fighting him.

"How did you find us?!" Carlos demanded.

"A little birdie told us that Wigglytuff's Guild was going on an expedition in search of a treasure hidden at Fogbound Lake." Thrax said. "As a criminal, I like treasure. You know that, baby. You just happened to have run into us here. What a coincidence, eh?"

"Some coincidence! I thought I sensed someone following us up until we entered Steam Cave!" Lucar cried. "It was you! You guys were following us!"

"What else did you expect?" Raptor replied. "We knew you brats would lead us right to the treasure. And lookie here! You did!"

"Now that we know the treasure is up ahead, we'll just take it for ourselves." Thrax said. "Of course, we'll need to knock you three out of the way."

"Don't you know that Uxie guards Fogbound Lake? He'll erase your memory!" Sandra warned.

"I won't give that stupid pixie a chance, baby." Thrax replied, raising his left hand claw. "Maybe instead of just knocking you out and leaving you here, how about we kidnap the three of you?"

"No way!" Carlos cried.

"Who said you had a choice?" Raptor shot back.

"We did!" Sandra growled.

"Not anymore," Thrax chuckled. "Get them!"

Raptor and the black Pikachu charged, attacking Team Legend. Raptor successfully cut Sandra and Lucar off from Carlos, leaving the Pikachu alone to face off against the black Pikachu. Carlos growled, glaring at Thrax.

"You're not kidnapping us, Thrax! Not like with David!" Carlos cried.

"My, my," Thrax muttered. "Still yapping about that bratty Pichu I swiped from you in Oran Forest? My, you sure don't forget a lot of things."

"I promised Joy I'd get David back and I intend to keep my promise! Now where is he?!" Carlos shouted.

"Somewhere close by," Thrax replied. He turned his attention to the black Pikachu. "What are you waiting for? Get him, brat!"

"Please forgive me," the black Pikachu said.

"I won't forgive any of you until you give David back!" Carlos growled.

"Then be prepared to hate us forever, Carlos!" Thrax laughed. "I'm planning on never giving him back!"

At the back of the cavern, a pair of red eyes opened at a telepathic command. _"Intruders…stop them…"_ A huge figure snarled, slowly lumbering toward the sound of fighting. _"Let no one find…the treasure of…Fogbound Lake…"_


	29. Chapter 28: Guardian of Fogbound Lake

Chapter 28: The Guardian of Fogbound Lake

Raptor smirked as he faced off against Lucar and Sandra. He would trust the Pikachu leader to the black Pikachu. The brat should be able to take down one Pikachu all on his own. And even if the black Pikachu couldn't, Thrax would just finish the fight. There was no way they could lose!

"Take this, brats! Wing Attack!" Raptor shouted, creating a mini tornado with his wings.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried.

The dark energy sphere crashed into the tornado, destroying it. The Eevee took her chance and charged, hitting the Staraptor with Quick Attack. Raptor swiped at her with a clawed foot, missing by inches. Lucar struck from behind with Force Palm, making him cry out it pain before he smacked the blind Riolu away with his wing.

"Lucar, are you okay?" Sandra asked.

"I'm fine," Lucar replied, getting up. "Hit him as hard as you can, Sandra! We can't lose to these guys!"

"Right!" Sandra nodded.

"You brats are still going to fight? Don't you get that it's useless?!" Raptor barked. "You can't beat us! You're a couple of Level 20s. We're over Level 50! You can't win!"

"With our kind of luck, I bet we can." Lucar said firmly.

"Bring it!" Raptor dared.

"Gladly! Let's get him!" Lucar cried.

Lucar and Sandra both used Quick Attack, only to have Raptor fly into the air to escape. He used Wing Attack, only to growl in frustration when it missed. He suddenly dove toward Sandra, a plan coming to mind. He started attacking her viciously with his wings and talons.

"Close Combat!" he yelled.

"Sandra! Rock Slide!" Lucar cried.

Huge rocks ripped free of the ground and hit Raptor, causing him to leap away. The Staraptor used Close Combat to shatter most of the rocks before sending a Wing Attack at the blind Riolu. Lucar took a direct hit, falling to the ground.

"Lucar!" Sandra wailed.

"Your turn!" Raptor chuckled, striking with Quick Attack. "See? You kids are nothing compared to us!"

On the sidelines, Thrax smirked. _This fight's practically in the bag!_

Meanwhile, Carlos' fight was going a bit better than Lucar and Sandra's. The black Pikachu kept using a combination of Grass Knot and Dig, making it easy for Carlos to predict his movements. It was painfully obvious that forming new strategies in the middle of a battle wasn't something the black Pikachu did often.

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos cried.

The black Pikachu tunneled underground again, avoiding the attack. Carlos turned flee, only to feel the grass catch his feet. He ripped at the plants with his teeth, getting away just in time to avoid Dig. The black Pikachu sighed before charging directly at him, using Focus Punch. Carlos smirked.

"Take this! Double Team!" the Pikachu cried.

Multiple copies of Carlos formed a ring around the black Pikachu, making him skid to a stop. He eventually lunged toward his right, hitting a clone and dispersing it. Looking around in fear, the black Pikachu tried to figure out where the real Carlos was. The moment he turned his back, Carlos struck with Quick Attack.

"Ow!" the black Pikachu yelped, crashing to the ground.

"You're not really strong, are you?" Carlos asked. "From what Sandra told me, you don't have any Electric-type attacks. Why?"

"Master Thrax has many TMs at his disposal. He doesn't want me to be weak, so he makes me learn strange moves," the black Pikachu said, struggling to his feet. "Please give up, sir. I don't want to fight."

"If you don't want to fight, then _you_ should give up!" Carlos countered. "You guys started it, after all!"

"I can't," the black Pikachu replied. "If I lost or give up, Thrax will only hurt me more. I don't like getting hurt. I must keep winning."

"If you don't like pain, just stop listening to him." Carlos suggested. "Why do you follow him?"

"I don't have a choice," the black Pikachu said. "Do you think I'd listen to him if I actually had a choice? Of course not. But then again, I have no choice. Once he catches you, you never have that luxury of choosing what you want. He decides everything for you."

"Wait! He kidnapped you, too?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," the black Pikachu nodded. "I—"

"What are you doing, brat?! Less talk, more fight!" Thrax shouted.

The black Pikachu shivered in fear and quickly nodded. "Please forgive me, sir!" he cried. "Focus Punch!"

Carlos cried out in pain as the punch connected with his chest, smashing him into the wall behind him. Before he could recover, the black Pikachu dealt a second punch to his stomach. After a few more punches, Carlos collapsed. The black Pikachu backed off, panting in exhaustion.

"Carlos!" Sandra screamed, seeing the injured Pikachu.

"Go, Sandra! I'll deal with this guy!" Lucar barked, dodging another Wing Attack.

"Okay!" The Eevee dashed toward the two Pikachu, a Shadow Ball forming in her mouth. "Get away from him! Shadow Ball!"

The black Pikachu was sent flying, crashing to the ground a few feet away. Sandra nudged the limp Carlos, who looked ready to pass out. Grabbing an Oran Berry, Sandra broke it in half and helped the Pikachu eat it. Reenergized, Carlos jumped to his feet.

"Thanks, Sandra! I can always count on you to help me out!" Carlos said, smiling.

"Y-y-yeah!" Sandra nodded, blushing.

Thrax snorted, stalking toward the nearly-unconscious black Pikachu. "Get up, brat! Your fight isn't done yet!" He kicked the black Pikachu in the side.

"I…c-can't…" the Electric-type whimpered.

"You can and you will!" Thrax grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him upright.

"Hey, stop it!" Carlos shouted. "You're hurting him!"

"What do I care?" Thrax countered, glaring at Carlos over his shoulder. "He's just a goon. If he dies, I can find another to train. Sure, I might not get them to evolve like this again but whatever."

Carlos growled, sparks flying from his cheeks. "Is that what others are to you? Just tools to make your life easier?! That's cruel! No wonder you're a criminal!"

"Thanks, baby." Thrax chuckled. He tossed the black Pikachu to the ground and faced the two Team Legend members. "Fine, I'll leave him alone…for now. It's like they say. 'If you want a job done right, do it yourself.' I guess I'll have to beat you two into submission."

"Not happening, Thrax! _You'll_ be the one who gets beaten!" Carlos cried.

"Prove it. Bring it on, baby!" Thrax dared.

Just as Carlos was about to strike, the ground started to shake. Raptor yelped, taking to the air to escape. Lucar stumbled awkwardly toward Carlos and Sandra, the trio standing their ground against the massive quakes. Thrax ignored the shaking and took a step forward…only to rear back as a mighty roar ripped through the tunnel.

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"Hey! Isn't that the roar we heard before?!" Sandra yelped.

"It is!" Lucar cried.

"Whatever it is, it's coming this way!" Carlos noted. "Get ready, guys!"

"What about Thrax and his goons?" Sandra asked.

"I don't know! We'll deal with them later!" Carlos cried.

_/Luckily for us, we wouldn't have to deal with Thrax and his goons at all. He doesn't show it often but even Thrax has fears. He may have talked big about fighting Uxie but I'm pretty sure we all know what the outcome would be. Thrax would've been pummeled. We wouldn't know it for a long time but Thrax's ultimate fear…was Legendary Pokemon./_

Thrax struggled to remain standing as the shaking intensified. Then he saw it. A giant shadow was coming from deeper in the tunnel. The Toxicroak took a step back, feeling a huge sense of danger hitting him. Raptor flapped beside him, refusing to land.

"Boss, what's going on?!" the Staraptor asked. "Is it an earthquake?"

"I don't think so," Thrax growled, stepping back again. "It's something so much bigger."

_Back at the Groudon statue…_

Corphish sighed in relief upon seeing the Groudon statue. "Hey, hey, hey! We're here!" he cried.

The rest of the Guild, minus Team Legend and Wigglytuff, approached the huge statue. Chatot hopped forward, inspecting it. He noticed the red stone jammed into its chest, the source of the fog's disappearance if what Corphish said was true.

"So, this is the Groudon statue?" Chatot asked. 'But I don't see Team Legend or Wigglytuff here."

"I told Team Legend to go on ahead." Corphish explained. "As for the Guildmaster, he should be here somewhere. He was chasing a Perfect Apple when I was going to get you guys. Maybe he went after Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra."

"Yes, that's quite possible." Chatot muttered.

The next thing the Guild noticed was that the ground began to shake slightly. Diglett looked at his father in confusion. There was another shake, followed by a faint roar that sent Bidoof diving behind Loudred for cover.

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"W-w-what's that, by golly?!" Bidoof whimpered.

"Definitely not an earthquake," Dugtrio said. "Something is causing these tremors. Something…alive?"

"Oh my gosh! What kind of thing could cause tremors?!" Sunflora cried.

"Whatever it is, I bet Team Legend's in on it! Let's hurry and find them!" Corphish insisted.

Chatot led his fellow Guild members away from the statue, unaware that only a few yards away, hidden behind a waterfall…was the battered and bruised Team Skull.

_/I told you that Wigglytuff was strong. He shrugged off the noxious gas combo like it was nothing and struck back in seconds. I actually feel sorry for them./_

_Back at Steam Cave Peak…_

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"Carlos, I'm scared!" Sandra cried.

"Don't worry, Sandra! Whatever it is, we'll take it down if it wants to fight!" Carlos promised. "I'll protect you!"

Sandra blushed. _Carlos…you're so nice!_

Thrax's eyes widened in fear as a giant red figure stomped out of the tunnel, golden eyes scanning each of them in turn before roaring. Raptor yelped, flapping away from the giant Pokemon. Team Legend stared in shock.

"What is that?!" Lucar asked.

"It's…Groudon! Just like the statue!" Carlos cried. "Only…"

"It's real," Sandra finished.

"A real Legendary right in front of us. Incredible," Lucar whispered.

"YOU!" Groudon suddenly roared. "WHAT DO YOU COME HERE FOR?"

"W-we've come to find F-Fogbound Lake!" Carlos declared shakily.

"TURN BACK NOW! FOGBOUND LAKE SHALL NEVER BE DISCOVERED!" Groudon roared.

"What?! No way!" Carlos argued. "We've come this far! Why should we turn back now?!"

"TURN BACK OR FACE MY WRATH!" Groudon threatened.

"B-b-boss! W-what do we d-do?" Raptor stuttered.

"What else? We turn back and let Groudon rip these brats to shreds. One less problem for us," Thrax said. "We'll come back later when it's asleep or something."

"AS GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE, I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!" Groudon roared. "SAY GOODBYE, INTRUDERS!"

Turning, the massive Legendary swung his tail…aiming directly for Thrax. Raptor shouted a warning and the Toxicroak turned, staring in fear as the tail hurtled toward him. One thought ran through his head.

_I'm going to die,_ he thought.

"Look out!" a voice cried.

Something crashed into Thrax, throwing the Toxicroak away from the tail's path. It was the black Pikachu! Thrax scrambled to his feet, ready to flee. The last thing he wanted was to be beaten up by the legendary Groudon!

"Get out of there!" Raptor shouted.

The black Pikachu screamed as the tail hit him, making him hit the far wall with a loud crash. As he slumped to the ground, his vision began to turn black...along with his memories. Just before he blacked out, he thought he saw a beautiful Raichu hovering over him.

_Mom…my…_ He closed his red eyes, falling unconscious.

"Boss, what do we do?!" Raptor cried.

"Run, you idiot!" Thrax barked.

"But what abo—" the Staraptor started.

"Who cares?! Run!" Thrax shouted. "He'll be dead soon, anyway!"

Thrax and Raptor fled, leaving the black Pikachu behind. Carlos dashed toward the Electric-type's side, concerned. Lucar and Sandra joined him, keeping their eyes on Groudon.

"He's unconscious," Carlos said.

"Better than being dead," Lucar commented.

"Now what do we do?" Sandra asked. "We can't fight a Legendary! We'll lose!"

"We have to try, Sandra. We came this far. Do you really want to turn around when we're so close to our goal?" Carlos countered.

"N-no," the Eevee muttered.

"Then it's decided?" Lucar asked, looking at Carlos.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

"YOU HAVE SEEN MY POWER, INTRUDERS! FLEE NOW OR BE DESTROYED!" Groudon roared.

"How about neither? We'll fight you…and we'll win!" Carlos cried.

"YOU WILL FIGHT? THEN FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE, INTRUDERS! THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!" Groudon roared.

_/More like it's the beginning of a whole lot of trouble for us. Starting here, our real adventure begins! An adventure involving Time Gears, dimensional portals, frozen futures, and the truth of why Carlos ended up as a Pokemon. We'll meet countless friends and foes along the way, all of which help us in one way or another. From here on, our lives changed…for the better or for the worse, you can decide./_

_At the entrance of Steam Cave…_

"Hey! There's the entrance!" Corphish cried, spotting the hole in the side of the plateau.

"What are we WAITING for? Let's GO!" Loudred yelled.

The Guild members dashed inside of Steam Cave, climbing the floors as fast as they could. Whatever that roaring was, Team Legend and Wigglytuff could be in big trouble. They had to help!

"H-h-hey, Chatot? Can I ask you something?" Corphish asked.

"Yes," Chatot nodded.

"Do you know about a Pokemon called Groudon?" Corphish asked.

"Of course I do! I'm not head of intelligence for nothing!" Chatot barked. "Groudon is a Legendary Pokemon spoken of in myths originating hundreds of years ago. It is said that he raised land from the sea and created the continents."

"Whoa! That's got to be one big Pokemon!" Corphish commented. "What would happen if you battled him?"

"Battled Groudon? Why, you'd lose!" Chatot said. "You'd be throwing your life away. Legendary Pokemon aren't to be messed with. Not even Team Moonlight dared to battle them directly. They're just that strong!"

"Team Moonlight?! The Legendaries respect them, though!" Corphish pointed out.

"Respect isn't earned through just defeating Pokemon. Their reputation as a top-rank Exploration Team is what gained them the respect of the Legendaries." Chatot explained.

_Back at Steam Cave Peak…_

"GROOOOOOH! PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED, INTRUDERS!" Groudon roared.

"Carlos, are you sure we can do this?" Sandra asked. "We can still back out."

"Then our expedition will have failed," Carlos said. "Chatot said that Wigglytuff's Guild had never failed an expedition before. Why should it fail now?"

"Carlos is right," Lucar muttered. "I'm sure we can beat Groudon if we try hard enough. We just have to try our hardest."

"I'm scared…" Sandra whimpered.

"You're not alone," Carlos reminded. "Lucar and I are here. And even if it doesn't look like it, we're scared too. We just have to be brave."

"Brave," Sandra repeated. "Yeah! I have to be brave!"

"That's it, Sandra! If we're brave, nothing can take us down!" Carlos cried.

"Yeah! Let's be brave and not give up, guys!" Sandra cried. "We can do this! Get ready, Groudon, because we're going to defeat you!"

Lucar smiled. _Carlos always knows how to fire her up if she's scared,_ he thought. _Maybe one day, Sandra will be able to fire herself up and drive away her fears. When that day does come, maybe she can find the courage to tell him how she feels._

"GROOOOOOH!!" Groudon roared.

"Let's go, guys!" Carlos cried.

Team Legend charged toward Groudon, who let out a vicious roar as he lumbered forward. This was the beginning of a harsh battle between an Exploration Team and a Legendary, the first of its kind in such a long time. Will Carlos' bravery pull through or will Groudon's wrath crush the three explorers?

_Far away in the Northern Desert…_

Snowflake the Glaceon panted, the heat getting to her. It had taken a long time for her to sneak into the Northern Desert Kingdom and even longer to break into the castle. She had easily defeated the two guards, a Tyranitar and a Feraligatr, in the battle arena on the top floor. Now she was faced with the current ruler of the kingdom.

"What business do you have with me?" a voice asked.

"I'm just wondering what you did with a certain Quilava princess." Snowflake replied. "My boss, Thrax of the Big Five, has possible business with her."

"Then I'm afraid you're too late, dear. I already handed her over to a pair of thieves who have promised me that they would take her to Labyrinth Cave and dispose of her there," the voice said. "If you wish to get your hands on her, you must go there."

"Fine," Snowflake nodded, hiding the anger in her voice. "Thank you for telling me that…Kadabra."

The figure, Kadabra, simply nodded. With a wave of this hand, he teleported up to his—formerly the king's—chambers. The Tyranitar and Feraligatr resumed their places on the arena, glaring at the Glaceon in hatred.

Snowflake left the castle and began her trek across the hot Northern Desert sand. "Labyrinth Cave, eh? I'll have to remember that," she muttered. "I just hope our little princess doesn't die before then. That would a terrible shame."

She vanished within the blowing winds of a small sandstorm, making her way back to Treasure Town. She had what she wanted. Now she just needed to report back to Thrax and plan for their journey to Labyrinth Cave.

_I just hope the boss is having better luck than me,_ she thought.


	30. Chapter 29: Groudon and Answers

Chapter 29: Battling Groudon and Finding Answers

The first thing Carlos noticed was that the tunnel grew brighter all of a sudden, as if sunlight was pouring into it from some unknown source. Charging ahead regardless, he let off a powerful Thunderbolt…only to watch in shock as the attack bounced off Groudon's red armor-like skin! Groudon grinned.

"What the?!" Carlos cried. "How come it didn't work?!"

"Groudon's a Ground-type Pokemon, Carlos!" Lucar explained. "Electric-type attacks don't work on him! Stick to Quick Attack and Double Team, or maybe throw something at him! You're just wasting energy shooting sparks and stuff!"

"Got it!" Carlos nodded. _Crud! Now what do I do? Wait…aha! Maybe that could work! I just need to get close enough._

"Where's all this sunlight coming from?" Sandra wondered.

"Groudon's ability is Drought, which causes sunny weather during battle." Lucar replied. "It raised Fire-type attacks and weakens Water-type attacks. Luv would be really useful since Groudon's weak to Water-type attacks, even if her strength would be half as strong as usual."

"We'll have to make due without her." Carlos said. "I've got a plan. Can you guys distract Groudon and let me get close enough to throw something?"

"We'll try!" Lucar promised.

Lucar and Sandra charged, using Rock Slide and Shadow Ball to catch his attention. Groudon turned, snarling in rage before aiming a Slash at the Eevee. Sandra crashed into the far wall but quickly recovered, rushing in with Quick Attack just before the Ground-type could hit Lucar.

Carlos, meanwhile, crept in from behind with an X-Eye Seed in his hand. _I can't miss,_ he thought. _I've got to hit him. Please let me hit him!_

Groudon roared, swiping at Sandra but missing as the smaller Pokemon raced away. Lucar jumped, hitting him in the jaw with Force Palm. Groudon smacked the blind Riolu away, roaring in pain. He used AncientPower to knock both Pokemon away, allowing himself some time to recover. That's when he sensed Carlos sneaking in from behind.

"Take this!" Carlos cried, tossing the X-Eye Seed.

Groudon ducked, allowing the seed to fly harmlessly past. Carlos quickly snatched up another, only to dodge as Groudon swiped at him with Slash. Clutching the seed tightly, the Pikachu used Double Team to buy himself some time. The Ground-type growled, trying to find the real Carlos.

"Hey, big guy! Over here!" Lucar shouted.

Groudon turned, only to be hit with a bunch of rocks from the Riolu's Rock Slide. Sandra tossed in a few Shadow Balls, cheering as Groudon was forced backward by their combined attacks. Carlos, seeing his chance, tossed the X-Eye Seed at Groudon's open jaws. Groudon accidentally swallowed it as he closed his mouth, realizing too late that he had been tricked.

"Now!" Sandra cried.

"Quick Attack!" Carlos yelled, slamming into the back of one of Groudon's legs.

Groudon roared as he fell backward, crashing to the ground and causing a small tremor. Carlos rejoined his two teammates and smiled…only to back up as the giant Legendary got right back up! Groudon roared in rage, swinging his head from side to side in an attempt to clear his vision. He couldn't see a thing!

"Let's get him, guys! Quick Attack!" Carlos cried.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra called.

"Force Palm!" Lucar shouted.

Groudon roared in agony as the attacks hit him, unable to pinpoint where they were coming from. He began to slash wildly, hoping to hit something. All he managed to hit were the walls, floor, and ceiling. Team Legend just watched as Groudon continued moving away from them.

"Now what do we do?" Sandra asked.

"Keep attacking or just wait until he comes back, I guess." Carlos replied. "How long do those last, anyway?"

"Not too long but long enough," Lucar said. "Once he does recover, he'll be one mad Legendary."

"As if he isn't mad enough already," Carlos muttered. "But we have to beat him. It's the only way we'll find Fogbound Lake…and Uxie." _And, possibly, my memories,_ the Pikachu mentally added.

Groudon blinked, his vision clearing. He could see again! Turning, he glared at the trio and let out a furious roar. Team Legend jumped, surprised that he had come back so soon. Groudon raised a hand and brought it down, aiming a Slash at Carlos. The trio split up instantly, surrounding the Legendary in a triangle formation. Groudon snarled, ready to fight back should they strike.

Lucar made the first move, leaping at Groudon's back and using Force Palm. Groudon turned, swatting him away with one hand. Carlos tossed a Blast Seed at the Ground-type's turned back, managing to scorch the red armor-like skin before retreating a safe distance away. Groudon turn again, only to have a pair of Shadow Balls collide with his back. He turned and roared at the Eevee, making her cower in fright.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!! I SHALL DESTROY YOU ALL RIGHT NOW!!" Groudon roared.

"Not happening, Groudon! Guys, now!" Carlos cried. "Triple Quick Attack!"

From Groudon's left, right, and front, the three members of Team Legend struck with Quick Attack. Groudon roared in pain, backing up a step when the trio retreated. Shaking his massive head, Groudon called upon AncientPower to hurl rocks at them. Lucar countered with Rock Slide, preventing the attack from reaching them. The ground was soon covered in the shattered remains of many large rocks.

Groudon raised his head, yellow eyes glaring at the intruders. "I GAVE YOU A WARNING BEFORE OUR BATTLE!! I SHALL GIVE IT AGAIN!! DEPART NOW OR BE DESTROYED!!"

"We're not leaving, Groudon! Not without seeing Fogbound Lake and Uxie!" Carlos said firmly. "I have something to ask him and I intend to get answers!"

"IS THAT YOUR FINAL DECISION?" Groudon asked.

"That will always be our final decision! Our answer will never change!" Lucar cried.

"Yeah!" Sandra agreed.

"IF THAT IS YOUR FINAL DICISION, THEN YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE!!" Groudon roared. "TAKE THIS!! HYPER BEAM!!"

"Hyper Beam?!" Lucar gasped.

"No way!" Sandra cried.

"Uh oh…this is going to really hurt." Carlos said, backing up. "Run away!"

Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra ran away from Groudon as he opened his mouth, a ball of orange light building up. Before the trio could get very far, Groudon unleashed his Hyper Beam and hit them with it. Team Legend was sent flying, screaming as the rocks around them shattered from the raw power of the attack. A huge flash of light flooded the room as the attack exploded, leaving scorch marks on the surrounding rock.

_/Hyper Beam is probably one of the most dangerous non-Legendary moves we'll ever be forced to face in battle. Though it's a Normal-type move, it acts similar to Overheat or Solarbeam. A large amount of Pokemon are capable of learning it, too. That just makes it all the more dangerous./_

Thick smoke curled up from the impact zone and the smell of burnt fur filled the room. Lucar managed to punch a few pieces of shattered rock off of himself, searching for his two teammates. Sandra pulled herself out of the dirt, coughing as the smoke got in her lungs. Lucar freed Carlos from under a chunk of rock, helping him to his feet. All three Pokemon were battered and bruised from the attack.

Groudon frowned. "IMPRESSIVE!! I HAVE NEVER COME ACROSS POKEMON THAT HAVE DARED TO STAND BACK UP AFTER THAT ATTACK!! YOU MUST TRULY BE DETERMINED!! IT IS A SHAME YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!!"

"Why must we be destroyed?!" Carlos demanded, wheezing. "I just want Uxie to answer a question for me! I lost my memo—"

"REGARDLESS, I HAVE MY ORDERS!!" Groudon interrupted. "AS GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE, I MUST PROTECT IT WITH ALL OF MY STRENGTH!! NONE SHALL PASS BY ME!!"

"If we can't convince you to let us through by talking, then we'll just keep fighting until you let us through!" Carlos declared.

"DO YOU HOPE TO DEFEAT ME, YOUNG ONE?" Groudon asked.

"If that's what it takes to see Uxie and Fogbound Lake, then yes!" Carlos nodded.

"THEN PREPARE YOURSELF, YOUNG ONE!! DEFEATING A LEGENDARY IS NO EASY FEAT!!" Groudon roared.

"I was born prepared, Groudon." Carlos said. "Lucar, you sure you can find it?"

"I'm certain I can," Lucar replied, looking at the Pikachu. "Where is it again?"

"Right behind Groudon, under his tail. We'll keep him distracted." Sandra said. "You throw it when you see a chance. Uh, I mean—"

"It's okay," Lucar chuckled. "I know what you mean. No offense taken with the whole vision thing. Good luck, you two."

"Good luck, Lucar." Carlos said.

"Be careful," Sandra added.

"I will," Lucar promised.

"FEEL MY WRATH, INTRUDERS!!" Groudon roared.

"Lucar, now!" Carlos cried.

Groudon attempted to chase the blind Riolu, only to find his body unable to move. His body was recharging from using Hyper Beam! The Ground-type could only watch helplessly as Lucar raced past him, snatching up the fallen X-Eye Seed that Carlos had attempted to throw earlier but Groudon had dodged. Feeling his body unlocking again, Groudon got ready to use Slash.

"No you don't! Quick Attack!" Carlos growled.

The Pikachu crashed into Groudon's back, knocking his strike off-course. Lucar quickly escaped, readying the X-Eye Seed. Groudon growled in rage, knowing what Team Legend was planning. He had to finish them off…fast! But how?

Spotting something out of the corner of his eye, the Legendary smiled. "YOU THINK YOU THREE CAN DEFEAT ME SO EASILY? I DON'T THINK SO!! YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES I MUST ELIMINATE, AFTER ALL!!"

"Huh? What's he talking about?" Sandra asked. "We're the only ones here!"

"…No we're not!" Lucar cried. "The black Pikachu!"

"That's right! I forgot about him!" Sandra cried.

Groudon turned toward the unconscious black Pikachu, a ball of flames erupting from his jaws. "SAY GOODBYE!! FIRE BLAST!!" he roared.

"Stop!" Carlos shouted, running toward the black Pikachu.

Carlos just barely managed to get between the unconscious black Pikachu and the column of fire. Sparks shot from his cheeks and he used Thunderbolt, successfully dispersing most of the flames. Groudon smirked as the electricity bounced off of his skin.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT YOUR ELECTRICITY HAS NO EFFECT ON ME?" he reminded.

"Leave him out of this! He's got nothing to do with our fight!" Carlos yelled. "This is between you and us!"

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER IS HE DIES DURING OUR FIGHT?" Groudon asked. "ONLY A SHORT TIME AGO, YOU WERE FIGHTING HIM!! YOU ARE ENEMIES, CORRECT?"

"Yeah, but this is different!" Carlos argued. "You don't attack somebody who can't fight back! That's just wrong! Only cowards do that!"

"ARE YOU CALLING ME A COWARD?!" Groudon roared.

"As of now, yeah!" Carlos nodded. "Only cowards attack those who can't fight back. I guess even Legendary Pokemon can be cowards."

_/I don't think I could ever do that, even now. Standing up to a Legendary Pokemon and calling them a coward. That's like standing up to the mayor of your town and calling them a weakling. You just don't do it! But Carlos did. And he does it on a few other occasions, too. He stands up for those who can't fight and makes sure everything's fair. That's another one of his qualities that I fell in love with. I guess that's what attracted Sunburst to him, too. You'll see her soon enough./_

"YOU WILL REGRET SAYING SUCH A THING!! FOR THAT, YOU SHALL BE DESTROYED FIRST!!" Groudon declared.

"Then come and get me, coward!" Carlos shouted.

The Pikachu ran further down the tunnel, the furious Groudon chasing him. Lucar and Sandra pursued as well, refusing to let their leader fight solo against the Legendary. As he ran, Carlos grabbed an Iron Thorn and tossed it at Groudon. It missed, prompting Carlos to toss a second Iron Thorn that managed to hit Groudon right in the forehead. Shaking his head to shake off the pain, the Ground-type roared angrily at Carlos.

Lucar slammed a Force Palm into Groudon's back, causing the Legendary to turn and use Slash. Sandra yelped and was thrown back, crashing into Lucar and sending both Pokemon flying into a wall. While Groudon's back was turned, Carlos hit him with Quick Attack.

"Don't forget about me, big guy!" the Pikachu cried.

"WHY WOULD I FORGET ABOUT THE INTRUDER THAT CALLED ME A COWARD?!!" Groudon roared. "FIRE BLAST!!"

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos yelled.

Fire and electricity met, pushing against each other in an epic power struggle. Unfortunately, fire won this time. The flames devoured the lightning and shot toward Carlos, singeing his fur and sending him reeling backward from the unbearable heat. Once he escaped, Carlos ate an Oran Berry to recover his lost strength and tossed a third Iron Thorn. Groudon growled as it struck him in the chest, causing him even more pain.

Sandra managed to throw a Shadow Ball at the Legendary the moment she got back up. Lucar followed her, using Rock Slide to keep Groudon temporarily distracted. Carlos tossed them both Oran Berries, not wanting to see any of his teammates be defeated. Groudon growled, glaring at the trio.

"He should be weak enough to be taken down by one more combo, guys." Carlos said. "Get ready!"

"Right!" Sandra nodded. "We can do this!"

"I'm ready when you are." Lucar said.

Groudon bared his teeth, frustrated. "I REFUSE TO BE DEFEATED BY INTRUDERS!! HAVE A TASTE OF MY HYPER BEAM!! YOU MAY HAVE SURVIVED ONCE BUT YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE AGAIN!!"

"Again?! Carlos, we have to go fast!" Lucar cried.

"I know!" Carlos snapped. "Let's do this, guys!"

"HYPER…" A ball of orange light formed in Groudon's jaws.

"Now! Triple Quick Attack!" Carlos cried.

Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar charged toward the Legendary with all their strength. As one, Team Legend leapt and crashed into Groudon's chest just as he was about to fire the Hyper Beam. Roaring in pain, Groudon's Hyper Beam shot off-course and crashed into the ceiling, bringing chunks of it down upon the group. Groudon coughed, the last of his energy spent, and crashed to the ground. He didn't get back up.

"We did it! We won!" Sandra cried. "I can't believe we actually won! We beat a Legendary! Wow!"

"Someone's enthusiastic," Lucar noted, watching the Eevee prance around happily.

"Yeah! We did, didn't we?" Carlos chuckled.

"I guess so," Lucar nodded.

The room started to shake as the ceiling fell apart from Groudon's last Hyper Beam. Sandra screamed, diving into Carlos' arms. Lucar dashed toward the two of them, frowning as he readied to defend his teammates from the soon-to-be cave-in. A flash of light suddenly filled the tunnel, temporarily blinding the trio.

"Wha…what is that?" Carlos asked, covering his eyes.

"I don't know!" Lucar barked. Then he sensed something. "Groudon's aura's gone!"

"What?!" Sandra yelped.

The flash of light faded, allowing them to see again. Carlos looked around. "Lucar's right!" he cried. "Groudon's gone!"

"But the black Pikachu's still here." Sandra reminded, dashing toward the unconscious Electric-type. "Thank goodness. He's okay, guys!"

"Where did Groudon go? We didn't see him leave." Carlos muttered. "He's too big to have gotten away so quickly. Where is he?"

"That…wasn't Groudon," a soft voice said. "That was simply an illusion I created."

"Who's there?!" Carlos demanded.

A gray pixie with a yellow helmet-like head and two tails encrusted with red gems appeared. His eyes were firmly shut. "I am the true guardian of Fogbound Lake…Uxie. I'm afraid you can go no further."

"You're Uxie?!" Carlos cried.

"Uxie, please hear us out! We're not here to cause you any trouble. We only have a few questions to ask you." Sandra explained.

"Questions? What kind of questions?" Uxie asked.

"Questions regarding our friend, Carlos," Lucar replied.

"Well…you don't seem bad. I'll believe that you come in peace." Uxie said. "Follow me to Fogbound Lake. I guard something…quite special."

Team Legend smiled at each other before following Uxie further down the tunnel. Carlos suddenly stopped, turning around. He quickly returned with the black Pikachu on his back. Uxie tipped his head in confusion.

"His friends abandoned him here after…your illusion attacked us." Carlos explained. "Don't worry, he's unconscious."

"All right," Uxie nodded, drifting further down the tunnel.

"Why are you bringing him along?" Lucar asked.

"I can't just leave him, especially not after how Thrax treated him." Carlos said, frowning. "We can hand him over to Sheriff Magnezone for questioning when we return to Treasure Town."

"Okay," the blind Riolu muttered.

"Hey, look! The ceiling's fixed!" Sandra cried.

Carlos looked up and gasped. 'You're right! But…how?"

"I did that," Uxie said. "It wouldn't be good if the tunnel collapsed, so I fixed it with my psychic powers."

"Wow!" Sandra said in awe. "Legendaries are so…powerful!"

"Thank you," Uxie said, blushing in embarrassment. "Fogbound Lake is up ahead. You will be the first ones in a long time to see it."

Leaving the stone tunnel behind, they arrived on a piece of rock that extended out into a lake that covered the whole plateau top. It was dark outside with only the occasional flash of a Volbeat or Illumise to light the night sky. Sandra walked toward the edge and peered into the water. Lucar looked around, sensing the auras of the Bug-type Pokemon…and something else.

"Look up ahead. I present to you…Fogbound Lake!" Uxie cried.

_/This is one of the more beautiful sights I have ever seen. And it only gets more beautiful in a bit. But all beauty has a secret to hide. Fogbound Lake is no exception. It hides a big secret…a secret we would eventually get wrapped up in./_

The trio moved forward and stared in shock. Well, at least Sandra and Carlos did. Uxie smiled, only to notice that Lucar's eyes were closed. The Riolu poked Carlos' arm, unable to see what they were seeing.

"What is it?" Lucar demanded.

"We're on the plateau top, Lucar!" Carlos said. "It dark outside and the Volbeat and Illumise are flying around, flashing their tails. The lake looks like it's glowing at the center. It's beautiful!"

"You cannot see?" Uxie asked.

"Yeah," Lucar nodded. "I'm blind. I've been blind since I was born."

"What a shame," Uxie said.

"It's okay. I'm used to it. I'll learn to be a great explorer, even without my sight." Lucar declared. "That's my dream."

"Look at the center of the lake," Uxie instructed. "Even blind, a Riolu like you should be able to sense something there."

The trio went closer to the edge to see better. The glow was originating from below the lake's surface, casting a blue-green glow across the lake. Carlos could barely make out a circular shape creating the glow. Something about it was…familiar?

_What is that thing? Why do I feel like I know what it is? It's on the tip of my tongue yet I can't quite remember._ Carlos thought. _My heart's racing. Why?_

"What is that thing?" Lucar asked. "It's making such a large aura, even larger than Groudon's!"

"That…is a Time Gear," Uxie replied.

"A Time Gear? Like the one that was stolen from Treeshroud Forest?" Sandra asked. "My sister and her team disappeared the night it was stolen. I haven't seen them since."

"This particular Time Gear is the one I guard." Uxie continued. "Many have tried to come here in search of treasure. I ensured that they all failed. My Groudon illusion chased most of them off. You are the first in a long time to make it this far. Any others that got here had their memories taken."

"Oh yeah! That's what I wanted to ask you about!" Lucar cried. "Our friend, Carlos, lost his memory. The only things he remembers are his name and that he was once human!"

"Human?!" Uxie repeated.

"Yeah," Lucar nodded. "Could you have maybe met Carlos somewhere?"

"And if you did take his memories, could you maybe restore them?" Sandra added.

Uxie looked at Carlos, searching his memory for any prior encounters with a human named Carlos. "…I am very sorry. I do not think I have ever encountered a human by that name before. No human has ever come here before. And even then, I only erase memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot take all of someone's memories. I'm afraid I was not the one who did that to your friend. I'm very sorry."

Carlos hung his head in sadness. _No…_


	31. Chapter 30: The Fogbound Lake Promise

Chapter 30: The Fogbound Lake Promise

Lucar and Sandra looked at each other in shock. "Are you sure?!" Sandra persisted. "Are you completely sure you—"

"I'm very sure," Uxie interrupted. "I would remember if a human ever came here. No human ever has. I'm deeply sorry. I was not the one who took your friend's memories. I am also incapable of restoring them since it was not my doing. Once again, I'm sorry."

"…It's okay." Carlos finally said. "At least I found that much out. I guess I'll have to keep searching until I find out what happened to me. Thanks for the help, Uxie!"

"I pray that you find the cause of both your memory loss and how you came to be transformed into a Pokemon." Uxie wished.

"Thanks, Uxie." Carlos smiled.

_/Unfortunately, it would be a long time before we ever discover why Carlos lost his memories and who caused it. And even longer to find who turned him into a Pokemon. But we never gave up in finding the causes. Carlos did so much for me and Lucar throughout our journey. The least we could do was help him piece together his old life./_

"Ooh! What's that?" a voice cried. "Oh, it's a Time Gear! It's so pretty!"

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff!!" Team Legend cried, whirling around to face him.

Wigglytuff smiled, walking toward them. "There you are, friendly friends! You found Fogbound Lake!" he cried. "But we can't take a Time Gear back with us. That wouldn't be good. Not at all!"

"Another intruder? How?" Uxie growled. "I'll deal with him!"

"Uxie, wait! That's our—" Lucar never got to finish.

Uxie summoned his illusion of Groudon, placing him between them and Wigglytuff. The Ground-type roared menacingly. Uxie smirked in victory…only to have his mouth drop open as Wigglytuff laughed and attempted to hug the illusion!

"Hi, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff cried happily. "I'm Wigglytuff! Nice to meet you! Friend! Friend! Friend!"

"Uh…eh?" Uxie squeaked, completely confused.

Sandra giggled. "I guess Wigglytuff isn't afraid of Groudon, Uxie."

"Yeah!" Carlos laughed.

"As I was trying to tell you, Uxie, that's our Guildmaster at the Exploration Guild we're training at. Meet Wigglytuff." Lucar said.

"Hello?" Uxie said hesitantly.

"Hi, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff greeted before running toward the edge, looking at the lake. "Ooh! What a fantastic view! It's so pretty! I wish Chatot and the others were here to see this!"

"Where did those guys get off to, anyway?" Carlos wondered. "Corphish said he would be right behind us. Where is he?"

"Guildmaster! Team Legend! We're coming!" a voice cried.

"Chatot!" Wigglytuff cried. "You made it!"

Chatot, Bidoof, Corphish, Loudred, Sunflora, Chimecho, Croagunk, Dugtrio, and Diglett dashed out of the tunnel and ran toward them…only to halt upon seeing the Groudon illusion! "G-G-G-Groudon!!" Chatot cried.

"It's okay, guys! It's an illusion!" Carlos explained. "He can't hurt you!" _Even though his attacks felt pretty real,_ he thought.

"An i-illusion?" Chatot asked, lowering his wing that he had used to shield his face. "I-I knew that!"

_Yeah, right,_ Sandra thought.

"Guys, come look at this! The lake's putting on a show for us! Pretty!" Wigglytuff cried.

"It's spouting," Uxie corrected.

"HUH?!" the Guild said, confused.

"Come look at the lake, guys! We made it!" Carlos encouraged. "This is Fogbound Lake!"

"R-really? Oh my gosh! We did find it! I mean, _you_ found it!" Sunflora said.

"Let's take a LOOK!" Loudred shouted.

"Wow!" Sandra cried, her eyes wide in awe. "It's beautiful!"

A huge fountain of water was shooting up from the lake's surface, attracting the attention of many Volbeat and Illumise. The Bug-type Pokemon flew around the spout, their tails flashing. The whole water spout was glowing from the Time Gear's radiance, changing the water from blue to purple and pink. It was a truly beautiful sight.

"Carlos, what's happening?" Lucar asked. "No vision, remember? All I can see it the Time Gear."

"Oh, sorry!" Carlos apologized. "The water's shooting up from the lake and the glow from the Time Gear has turned it pink and purple. Volbeat and Illumise are flying around it, their tails blinking. The sky's lit up and the stars are shining brighter than ever. It's—"

"Beautiful?" Lucar cut in.

Carlos stared at the Riolu in shock before smiling. "Yeah," he nodded.

"I bet this is the treasure of Fogbound Lake. This view…right?" Sandra asked, looking at Uxie.

"I wouldn't be surprised. It's very beautiful." Chimecho said.

"The Time Gear and this scene are the treasures of Fogbound Lake," Uxie replied. "The water is forced up from the caverns below and the Time Gear provides illumination. The Volbeat and Illumise are attracted to the light and flock to the fountain. Together, they form one of the most beautiful scenes!"

"Agreed," Carlos nodded, smiling.

"Carlos, I'm glad we can see this. Even if we didn't learn anything about your past, I'm happy we came here." Sandra said. "Being here with everyone and seeing this…it makes me happy."

"Me, too," Carlos agreed. "I'm sure we'll find out about my past eventually, Sandra. At least we won't leave here empty-handed."

"I'm sure this is something we'll never forget." Lucar added.

"Yeah," Carlos chuckled. _Something's still bugging me. Uxie never knew me yet I still know this place from somewhere. And that Time Gear…why did my heart start racing the moment I saw it? I still have so many questions but even this gave me no answers._

Unaware to everyone's attention, the black Pikachu slowly cracked open one red eye and blinked tiredly. _Where…am I?_ He saw the glowing fountain of water before him and smiled. _What a…pretty sight…_ He closed his eye, tired. He passed out again, the sight of the shimmering fountain imprinted in his memory.

Wigglytuff smiled at Uxie. "This has been an incredible expedition! I'm glad we came! We won't tell anyone about this place, Uxie! I promise!"

"I'll hold you to that promise…all of you. I won't take away your memories." Uxie said. "You have my trust. Please don't break it."

"Don't worry, Uxie. We won't break this promise." Carlos vowed.

"On the name of Wigglytuff's Guild, we won't breathe a word about this place to anyone!" Wigglytuff cried. "Breaking promises to friends is a big no-no!"

"Agreed! We all promise to keep this to ourselves." Chatot said.

"Thank you," Uxie said, smiling.

"No problem, Uxie. It's been fun, coming here and all." Sandra commented. "Maybe we'll come back one day and visit."

"I'd like that. It gets lonely here with just myself and the Time Gear. I'd appreciate company." Uxie said.

"Then we'll visit sometime! It's a promise!" Sandra declared.

"Yes," Uxie nodded. "It's a promise. Thank you, Team Legend and Wigglytuff's Guild."

"One time Gear has already been stolen," Lucar muttered. "We'll work hard to ensure this one stays safe."

"Right," Uxie said.

"All right, guys! We're going back to the Guild!" Chatot announced.

"HOORAY!!" everyone cheered.

As Wigglytuff and Chatot led the way out of the cavern, Bidoof noticed the black Pikachu on Carlos' back. "By golly, Carlos! Isn't that guy one of Thrax's goons?!" he yelped.

"What?!" Chatot flapped over. "My goodness, it is him! He's the one that attacked Mrs. Azurmarill! Carlos, how did you catch him?"

"We didn't catch him, Chatot. Uxie's Groudon illusion knocked him unconscious and Thrax abandoned him." Carlos corrected. "He's been out cold since. When we get back to Treasure Town, I'll hand him over to Sheriff Magnezone. Maybe he can tell us where Thrax hid David and any other Pokemon he's kidnapped."

"At least now we might have a clue as to what Thrax hopes to achieve by kidnapping so many Pokemon." Chatot said. "Why was he here, anyway?"

"Thrax, Raptor, and this guy ambushed us in this tunnel." Lucar explained. "We fought them for a while until that Groudon illusion appeared and attack this guy. Thrax and Raptor fled after that. They're probably long gone by now."

"How did they know you'd be here, though?" Wigglytuff asked. "You've met Thrax three times now, friendly friends. How does he keep finding you?"

"I don't know," Carlos admitted. "That time in Oran Forest and Serenity River were probably by chance."

"Thrax must've known we'd be here," Sandra realized. "There's no way he could've come here by chance this time! He had to have known! But how?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out!" Carlos said. "We'll get to the bottom of it!"

"For now, let's focus on getting home!" Wigglytuff cried. "We'll figure out how that meanie Thrax found you later! I'm coming, my precious Perfect Apples!"

"Uh…okay?" Carlos replied.

Wigglytuff led the Guild members out of Steam Cave and back home to Treasure Town. Two days later, the Guild returned home and rested up for the rest of the day. As promised, Carlos handed the black Pikachu over to Sheriff Magnezone. For the entire trip, the Electric-type had remained unconscious. Sheriff Magnezone promised to update the Guild on any new information once the black Pikachu awoke.

Team Legend was grateful to be able to sleep in their own beds for the night. "I missed this place," Sandra sighed, collapsing in her bed.

"Welcome back, guys! How was it?" Joy asked.

"Tell us everything!" Luv demanded.

"Okay, okay! Sit back and relax," Carlos said, flopping onto his bed. "This will take a while."

Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra took turns telling the tale of their expedition to Fogbound Lake. They started with how they kept ending up on the mini paths of the dungeons and explained how easily they worked together with Bidoof. They talked about how hard it was to navigate through the fog in Foggy Forest and how Carlos lifted the fog by putting the Drought Stone in the Groudon statue's chest. They explained the trek through Steam Cave and the battles with both Thrax and Groudon. They told of the beautiful sight at Fogbound Lake and their promise to tell nobody of the time Gear that resided there. Eventually, they ended with the trek back to Treasure Town and the arrest of the black Pikachu.

"My, you sure had fun! But Thrax had to ruin it and try to kidnap all of you." Joy sighed. "At least you caught one of his followers. Maybe now my dear David will be returned to me."

"I wish I had been there! Kicking Groudon's butt would've been a cinch!" Luv cried.

"I, personally, wanted to see that pretty fountain you guys described. I hope we can join in on the next expedition." Zuzu commented.

"If not, we could just stuff ourselves in the Treasure Bag and get smuggled along." Luv joked, eliciting laughter from the whole team.

"Pretty! Pretty!" Michael chirped. "Me want to see pretty water! Pretty!"

"Hey! You're actually getting better." Carlos said, picking up the baby Minun. "It's 'I', not 'me'. _I_ want to see the pretty water. Say it with me."

"I want to see the pretty water!" Michael cried.

"Perfect! Soon, you'll be talking like you've been doing it all your life!" Carlos said, hugging the tiny Electric-type.

"Me like Carlos! Carlos nice!" Michael cried, hugging the Pikachu back.

"Thanks, buddy. You're nice, too." Carlos replied, smiling.

"Well, we should all get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day and you'll have to be prepared to get back on schedule." Joy reminded.

"Yeah, I know. I think we can handle having Loudred wake us up again." Carlos said.

"I don't think so!" Zuzu giggled, hanging upside-down from the ceiling.

"We'll find out in the morning if you can handle it, Carlos." Luv smirked, lying down in bed. "Night, guys."

"Night, guys!" everyone said, curling up in bed.

It didn't take long for them to fall asleep to the lullaby of the singing Kricketune and hooting Noctowl. Team Legend would be having a good night of sleep until morning hit…unlike a certain criminal frog.

_On the outskirts of Treasure Town…_

Snowflake paced, her blue eyes glaring at the dirt ground. "Where is he?! He should've been here by now!" she growled.

A rustling in the nearby bushes caught the Glaceon's attention. Her blue and white fur bristling, she cautiously approached. The bushes soon parted and Thrax stomped through, Raptor right behind him. Snowflake backed off, making room for the angry Poison/Fighting-type. Thrax growled, his only hand-claw glowing dangerously.

"What took you so long? Did you win?" Snowflake asked.

"Does it _look_ like I won, baby?" Thrax shot back. "No! I almost had them! I was _this_ close!" He pinched his index and thumb together to signify he had been very close.

"What happened?" Snowflake asked.

"Groudon happened," Raptor whimpered.

"Groudon? As in, THE Groudon?" Snowflake questioned.

"What other Groudon is there?! Yes, THE Groudon!" Raptor cried. "Groudon popped out of nowhere and smashed the brat into the wall like he was a Yanma or something!"

"Wait! The brat's gone?!" Snowflake looked around, seeing no sign of the black Pikachu. "You left him?!"

"I had no choice! It was either beat it or get beaten! You know how I work, baby." Thrax growled. "Besides, the brat's probably dead after a hit like that."

"He would've died a long time ago if something like that could've killed him!" Snowflake snapped.

"Regardless, it's done and over with." Thrax said. "So, did you find where our next target is, baby?"

"Apparently, that Kadabra handed her off to a pair of common thieves headed for Labyrinth Cave." Snowflake replied. "If we want to get your little princess, we'll need to head them off and steal her ourselves."

"At least we know she isn't dead yet." Thrax commented.

"So, what happens if the brat lived?" Snowflake asked, referring to the black Pikachu.

"After all I put him through, he wouldn't dare breathe a word about my plans. That, I can guarantee, baby." Thrax promised. "So, off to Labyrinth Cave?"

"If you want that princess, then yes." Snowflake nodded.

"Right," Thrax chuckled. "Stick around town and keep an eye on those brats from Team Legend, will you? Make sure they don't die or nothing, baby."

"Understood," Snowflake said, smiling. "Good hunting."

Thrax and Raptor headed back into the bushes, leaving Treasure Town behind. Snowflake turned, running back to her temporary residence in Treasure Town near Sharpedo Bluff. She had her new orders. All that was left was to carry them out until her boss decided the time was right to wipe Team Legend off to map…permanently.

_In Sheriff Magnezone's Police Station…_

The black Pikachu groaned, opening his red eyes tiredly. It felt like he had been asleep forever. He looked around in confusion, not understanding why he was in a cell. A Magnemite guard was posted by the door, its back to him.

He wracked his mind, trying to figure out what happened that could've possibly landed him in a jail cell. He came up blank. He couldn't remember a thing. Nothing at all, in fact! His mind was entirely blank.

"What…happened?" he whimpered, rubbing his head. "Where am I?"

The black Pikachu soon realized something else. Something very precious to him was missing, too. Something that defined who he really was. Something that made him…him!

"…Who am I?" he wondered.

_The next morning, Wigglytuff's Guild…_

"WAKE UP!! IT'S MORNING!!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ow! My poor ears!" Carlos whimpered, rubbing his ears. "That hurt!"

"What did I tell you?" Luv chuckled, rubbing her ears.

"Okay! You win!" Carlos admitted.

"I guess we better get up, guys." Sandra said. "We have to get back to work today."

"Right," Lucar nodded, sitting up. "Up and at 'em, guys!"

Joy yawned, rubbing her eyes as she calmed the newly-crying Michael. "Good luck today, you guys."

"I wish we had some kind of curtain for that window. Early morning sunlight bothers me." Zuzu commented.

"I'll see if there's anything we can do about it, Zuzu." Carlos promised.

"Thanks," the green Zubat nodded, stretching her wings.

Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra headed to the main room and recited the cheers. After everyone dispersed to do work, the trio headed upstairs to find missions to do for that day. Just as Carlos pulled one down for Craggy Coast, Sunflora dashed toward them.

"Oh my gosh! You guys have got to go upstairs!" the Grass-type cried. "Sheriff Magnezone wants to speak with you about the black Pikachu you arrested in Steam Cave. He looked pretty mad! Eek!"

"Sheriff Magnezone? I wonder if something happened to that Pikachu." Sandra muttered.

"We can do these missions later," Carlos said, stuffing them into the Treasure Bag. "Let's go see what's up."

The three members of Team Legend climbed the ladder and exited the tent, meeting up with Sheriff Magnezone just beyond the grate. Two Magnemite accompanied him, floating on either side of the Electric/Steel-type. Magnezone's eyes were narrowed and he looked more frustrated than angry.

"Sunflora said you needed us. Is something wrong?" Carlos asked.

"BZZZT! YES!" Sheriff Magnezone replied. "EARLY THIS MORNING, FAR EARLIER THAN WHEN YOU EXPLORERS WAKE UP, WE QUESTIONED THE BLACK PIKACHU YOU BROUGHT IN! HE SEEMED UNABLE TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED WHY HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED! BZZZT!"

"That seems odd," Lucar noted. "Maybe he's faking?"

"BZZZT! WHETHER IT'S TRUE OR NOT, I'VE YET TO FIND OUT! I PLANNED TO SUMMON XATU TO DETERMINE THAT, BUT THE LITTLE WEASEL PULLED A FAST ONE ON US! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said. "BZZZT! WHEN THE GUARDS WERE CHANGING AND GIVING HIM BREAKFAST AFTER THE QUESTIONING, HE BROKE OUT AND FLED FROM TREASURE TOWN! BZZZT!"

"Wait a second! He escaped?!" Carlos cried.

"BZZZT! HE HAS BEEN GONE FOR TWO HOURS NOW! BZZZT!" one of the Magnemite added.

"He could be anywhere!" Sandra exclaimed.

"He's probably back with Thrax by now," Lucar growled. "I can't believe this! All that hard work and nothing to show for it but an escaped prisoner."

"BZZZT! HE HAS NOT FOUND THRAX OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone reassured.

"How can you be so sure?" Carlos asked.

"BZZZT! WE FOLLOWED HIS TRAIL DOWN TO THE BEACH AND INTO BEACH CAVE! BEACH CAVE, AS YOU SHOULD KNOW, LADES TO AN OPENING THAT LEADS STRAIGHT TO THE SEA! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone explained. "BZZZT! UNLESS HE SUDDENLY GROWS FINS, HE CAN GO NO FURTHER THEN THE FIFTH FLOOR! HE'S TRAPPED! BZZZT!"

"Why do you need to tell us that?" Carlos asked. "Can't you guys go in and get him?"

"BZZZT! WE WOULD BUT HE MADE AN UNUSUAL REQUEST WHEN DEPUTY MAGNEMIT WENT IN ONLY A SHORT TIME AGO! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said.

"What request?" Lucar asked.

"BZZZT! DEPUTY MAGNEMITE HEARD VERY LITTLE! THE BLACK PIKACHU WAS MUMBLING BUT MENTIONED A RAICHU! WE BELIEVE HE MUST MEAN MRS. RAICHU, WHO CURRENTLY IS PART OF YOUR EXPLORATION TEAM! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone explained.

"What about it? What does Joy have to do with this?" Sandra asked.

"BZZZT! WE WANT THIS TO BE A PEACEFUL ARREST! I REQUEST THAT YOUR TEAM BRINGS MRS. RAICHU TO THE FIFTH FLOOR OF BEACH CAVE AND CONVINCE THE BLACK PIKACHU TO SURRENDER! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said. "BZZZT! WE ARE PREPARED TO REWARD YOU FOR YOUR TROUBLE! BZZZT!"

"Carlos?" Sandra looked at the Pikachu.

"Okay, we'll do it." Carlos nodded. "Let's get Joy and go! We've got a criminal to recapture!"


	32. Chapter 31: Protecting the Black Pikachu

Chapter 31: Protecting the Black Pikachu

"Sheriff Magnezone wants me to lure the black Pikachu out of Beach Cave?" Joy asked. "What's going to happen to him?"

"Sheriff Magnezone said he was going to summon Xatu to determine if he was lying about not knowing where Thrax and David are." Carlos replied. "This is really important, Joy. We might be able to find David again."

"Right," Joy nodded. "Okay! I'll do it!"

"I guess we have to stay behind and watch over Michael," Zuzu noted, looking at Luv.

"We're being left out a lot recently!" Luv complained.

"I'll bring you along on the next mission, Luv." Carlos promised. "Just stay here and watch over Michael, okay?"

"…Fine," the Piplup muttered, crossing her flippers.

"Thanks, Luv. We'll be back soon." Carlos said. "Let's go, guys!"

"YEAH!!" Sandra, Lucar, and Joy cried.

"Yeah!" Michael mimicked, waving a paw happily.

"I'll be back soon, Michael. You be good, okay?' Joy said, patting the Minun on the head.

"Okay!" Michael nodded, smiling happily. "I be good, Joy!"

Zuzu and Luv waved goodbye as their four teammates headed down the hall and out of Wigglytuff's Guild. Carlos led the way toward the beach, spotting Sheriff Magnezone and a group of Magnemite waiting at the entrance to Beach Cave. They sped up, reaching the group of police officers.

"We're back! And we've got Joy with us!" Carlos panted.

"BZZZT! GOOD JOB, TEAM LEGEND! PLEASE PROCEED WITH YOUR MISSION! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said, backing away from the entrance. "BZZZT! WE WILL BE ON STANDBY IN CASE THE BLACK PIKACHU BECOMES VIOLENT! BZZZT!"

"Thanks," Carlos nodded. "See you in a bit."

"BZZZT! GOOD LUCK! BZZZT!" Deputy Magnemite wished.

Carlos nodded to his teammates and led the way into Beach Cave, leaving Sheriff Magnezone and his Magnemite companions behind. Carlos almost thought it was laughable how this mystery dungeon had given them so much trouble before when they first became an Exploration Team, but now they were breezing through it. The Shellos, Shellder, Corsola, and Kabuto were easily defeated in one hit from any of the four explorers' attacks. Team Legend was so much stronger now. It was…amazing.

It didn't take long for them to reach Beach Cave Pit and begin their search for the black Pikachu. Joy was the one who found him. The Electric-type was seated by the edge of the ocean, crying. Sandra looked at Carlos in confusion and he replied with a shrug.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"Huh?! Stay away!" the black Pikachu cried, whirling around. "S-s-stay away! D-d-don't make me h-h-have to f-f-fight you!"

"It's all right. We don't want to fight." Joy said, stepping forward. "We heard you got lost in here. Are you okay?"

The black Pikachu slowly lowered his guard. "Y-yeah," he nodded. "Are they g-gone? The m-metal things."

"You mean Sheriff Magnezone and the Magnemite? They're waiting outside of the cave." Lucar replied.

"Oh no!" the black Pikachu whimpered. "What do they want with me?! I didn't do anything!"

"Didn't do anything? What are you talking about?" Carlos asked.

"I didn't do anything!" the black Pikachu insisted. "I wake up in this weird cell and then I'm dragged around for no reason!"

"You did do something." Lucar said. "You're a criminal accomplice to one of the Big Five Criminals, Thrax the Toxicroak. You assisted in at least one kidnapping and you attacked us twice."

"What are you talking about?!" the black Pikachu demanded. "I don't remember doing any of that!"

"Is he faking?" Sandra asked.

"I can't tell," Lucar growled. "His aura's completely in a complete panic!"

"Something's wrong," Joy said. "Carlos, did something happen to him back at Steam Cave?"

"Aside from fighting us, nearly getting betrayed by Thrax, and then being knocked out by Groudon, no." Carlos replied.

"Guys! Look out!" Sandra warned.

"I-I-I… Why can't I…?" The black Pikachu had red sparks leaping from his cheeks, charging the air with tension. "I can't remember! Why can't I remember?!"

"Ow!" Lucar yelped, clutching his arm as a stray bolt of electricity struck him. "His electricity is going out of control! Carlos, we've got to get out of here! This is dangerous!"

"Yeah! Carlos, let's go! Let Sheriff Magnezone handle it!" Sandra pleaded, just barely dodging a stray spark.

"…Fine! Joy, let's go!" Carlos cried.

"No," Joy replied.

"What?!" Carlos looked at the Raichu like she was crazy.

"You three get clear, okay? I'll handle this." Joy ordered. "He's acting just like a newborn Pichu who can barely contain its own electricity. David was the same way before he vanished. I can calm him down."

Carlos looked at the older Electric-type and nodded. "Okay. We'll leave it to you." Carlos turned to his other two teammates. "Guys, let's back off!"

"Are you sure it's okay? Leaving Joy to face him alone?" Sandra asked, backing up.

"She's strong," Lucar commented. "And she's more experienced."

"Lucar's right. Joy will be fine. We just have to stay out of the line of fire." Carlos said.

Once the trio had backed off, Joy started walking toward the black Pikachu. The Raichu kept her tail firmly grounded, preventing the red electricity from hurting her. As she got closer, the black Pikachu began to panic.

"S-stay away!" he shouted. "O-or I'll hurt you!"

"Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot." Joy dared.

"F-f-fine! You asked for it!" the black Pikachu cried. "Thundershock!"

"Joy!" Sandra cried.

"Look out!" Carlos yelled.

Joy smirked, letting the red lightning strike her directly. The black Pikachu smirked, breathing raggedly. That attack had taken a lot out of him, but it was worth it if it kept him safe. His smirk suddenly faded as the smoke cleared, revealing Joy still standing. The Raichu came closer, not even a scratch on her.

"S-stop! D-d-don't come any closer! P-please!" the black Pikachu wailed. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Calm down," Joy said gently, standing before the smaller Electric-type. "You're okay. Don't be scared. I won't hurt you."

"P-promise?" he squeaked.

"I promise," Joy said, hugging the black Pikachu. "I was right. Your attacks aren't any stronger than that of a Pichu's. I guess all your powerful moves are the TMs Thrax made you learn. Pitiful that he would refuse to let an Electric-type learn any powerful Electric-type moves."

The electricity soon vanished, the air losing its charged tension. The black Pikachu relaxed in Joy's embrace, feeling oddly safe for the first time since he woke up in that cell. Something about this sensation—no, this hug—felt familiar. He couldn't remember why, though.

Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar soon joined Joy. "You okay?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah," the black Pikachu nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You were only defending yourself. You thought we were a threat. Now you know we're not." Joy explained. "Now then, are you going to come out with us to see Sheriff Magnezone? He won't hurt you."

"Promise?" the black Pikachu asked.

"Promise," Joy said.

"Let's get out of here. We've still got stuff to do today." Carlos reminded.

"Stay close," Joy advised, holding the black Pikachu's hand.

"I will," the black Pikachu promised.

_/Isn't it funny how criminals seem capable of placing their trust in us? First, Dusk and Buzz trusted Carlos to break them out of prison. Now, the black Pikachu is trusting Joy to keep him safe. Even criminals need to feel safe at times. Trust is a powerful thing. Breaking it is possibly the worst thing you could ever do to someone./_

Carlos led his teammates and the black Pikachu out of Beach Cave, knocking out any wild Pokemon that tried to attack them. Once they were out of the mystery dungeon, Sheriff Magnezone and his Magnemite approached them. The Steel/Electric-types were wary of the black Pikachu.

"BZZZT! CONGRATULATIONS, TEAM LEGEND! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY APPREHENDED HIM! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone congratulated. "BZZZT! WE WILL RETURN HIM TO THE STATION AND HAVE XATU EXAMINE HIM! BZZZT!"

"Can we come with?" Joy asked. "I promised you wouldn't hurt him."

"BZZZT! OF COURSE! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone nodded. "BZZZT! FOLLOW ME! BZZZT!"

"Stay close to me," Joy advised.

"Okay," the black Pikachu nodded.

"Gotcha, you nasty criminal scum!" a voice shouted.

"Huh? Who's there?" Carlos called.

"Get away from her, you scum!" the voice snarled.

Before anyone could react, a flash of black and orange crashed into the black Pikachu. He screamed, desperately wriggling to escape. The voice soon revealed itself to be a Growlithe…and very familiar one, at that. Carlos wracked his brain for answers.

"I finally got you, scum!" the Growlithe cried, keeping the Electric-type pinned beneath his forepaws. "No need to thank me, Mrs. Raichu. I've got the situation under con—"

"Get off of him!" Joy shouted, ramming into the Growlithe.

"Oof! Hey!" The Growlithe sat up, shaking the sand from his fur. "What was that for?! I was saving you! He's a criminal!"

"That doesn't give you the right to scare the living daylights out of him!" Joy growled. "He's still a child!"

"Criminals are criminals, Mrs. Raichu. Please move while I apprehend him." The Growlithe turned to Sheriff Magnezone. "I apologize for coming late, Sheriff. When we heard the news, I just had to come and help you interrogate him. Thrax is a major criminal and every last scrap of information we dig up on him gets us one step closer to having him imprisoned."

"BZZZT! I'M AFRAID YOU ARE INDEED TERRIBLY LATE! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said. "BZZZT! THE BLACK PIKACHU HAD ALREADY ESCAPED ONCE AND WAS APPREHENDED AGAIN BY TEAM LEGEND THANKS TO MRS. RAICHU'S ASSISTANCE! I WAS JUST BRINGING HIM BACK TO THE STATION TO HAVE XATU VERIFY HIS CLAIMS! BZZZT!"

"Claims? What claims?" the Growlithe demanded.

"BZZZT! THE BLACK PIKACHU CLAIMS TO HAVE NO MEMORY OF THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRED AT SERENITY RIVER AND STEAM CAVE! HE DOES NOT KNOW WHO THRAX IS AND CANNOT RECALL ANYTHING, NOT EVEN HIS OWN NAME! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone explained.

"Lies! Criminals always lie! Why believe him?!" the Growlithe cried.

"BZZZT! TO ENSURE ANOTHER INNOCENT POKEMON ISN'T SENT TO PRISON! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone replied.

It finally clicked in Carlos' head. "You!" he cried, pointing at the Growlithe. "You're from the prison! Cliff, right?"

"That's right," the Growlithe nodded. "Do you know me?"

"How could I forget you?! You dragged me to the underground floors and refused to believe me when I told you I wasn't Jealousy!" Carlos accused.

"Wait! That's you?!" the Growlithe, Cliff, yelped.

"Yeah, it's me! Miss me?" Carlos asked sarcastically.

"That means you tore apart our prison and released more than two hundred criminals back into the free world!" Cliff snarled.

"It's not like you gave me much of a choice! Jealousy was going to rob Wigglytuff's Guild using my face!" Carlos snapped. "Maybe if you believed me, I wouldn't have had to do that!"

"You're as much a criminal as the guys you released!" Cliff barked.

"Guys, stop it!" Sandra pleaded.

"Stay out of this!" Cliff growled, glaring at the Eevee.

"Don't yell at her, Half Breed!" Carlos yelled, remembering the name one of the Sandslash guards back at the prison had called the Fire-type.

"What did you call me?!" Cliff demanded.

"Cliff! Enough!" a voice shouted.

Carlos and Cliff both froze, recognizing that cold voice anywhere. Sheriff Magnezone glided forward to greet his guest. Carlos' fur bristled as memories flashed through his mind. Memories of his 'interrogation' at the prison…only it had been more torture than interrogation.

_/I'll give you one guess as to who this is. It should be pretty easy. Who else but this particular Pokemon tortured Carlos back in prison? I can't believe somebody would be so corrupt with their own power that they would do that to others. I actually feel sorry for her criminals./_

"BZZZT! SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN, PYRO! HOW IS THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PRISON GOING? BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone greeted.

"Likewise, Sheriff Magnezone," Pyro the Arcanine, leader of the K9 Police Force and keeper of the recently-destroyed prison, replied. "The reconstruction is going well. All the prisoners that we managed to recapture have been relocated to a temporary prison near Mt. Horn until reconstruction is complete."

"Pyro," Carlos muttered. _It's her again,_ he thought. _What's she doing here? Is she here for the black Pikachu?_

Pyro turned her attention to Cliff. "I told you not to rush ahead of us, Cliff. For what reason did you disobey orders?" she asked, her tone icy.

"I-I-I…" Cliff swallowed back his fear. "I was a-assisting in t-the apprehension o-of the c-criminal P-Pikachu. The b-black one!"

Pyro looked at the black Pikachu hiding behind Joy, surrounded by Magnemite. "He's looks pretty well apprehended already. Your assistance was obvious unneeded, Cliff."

"Y-yes, ma'am Cliff whimpered, lowering his head. Then he perked up. "Oh, yes! The Pikachu that tore apart the prison is here!"

"What?!" Pyro barked. "Where?!"

"There!" Cliff cried, pointing at Carlos.

"So, we meet again. Quite strange timing, too," Pyro noted, smirking at Carlos. "I should have you arrested for what you did."

"I wouldn't have done it if you had believed me in the first place." Carlos shot back.

"Why you little…" Pyro growled, fur bristling in rage.

"BZZZT! ENOUGH OF THIS! WE HAVE AN INVESTIGATION TO PREFORM, PYRO! CARLOS WAS DEEMED INNOCENT AND THE GUILD HAS PAID FOR A MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGES TO THE PRISON! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone reminded. "BZZZT! PHANTOM THIEF JEALOUSY PLAYED US ALL FOR FOOLS! THIS WOULD NOT BE THE FIRST TIME, EITHER! BZZZT!"

"That would bring back all the criminals he set loose!" Pyro argued.

"BZZZT! THE GUILD IS ALREADY AT WORK RECAPTURING THEM, PYRO! HOLDING CARLOS RESPONSIBLE WILL NOT CATCH YOUR CRIMINALS, EITHER! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah," the Arcanine growled. "So, when should I escort our criminal Pikachu to Mt. Horn?"

"If his claim is false, right after the investigation," Sheriff Magnezone said.

"Good," Pyro replied. "I hate being forced to wait. Let's get this over with."

"Are they coming, too?" Cliff asked, casting a glance at Team Legend.

"BZZZT! YES, THEY ARE! IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THAT? BZZZT!" Deputy Magnemite asked.

"No," Cliff groaned.

"BZZZT! GOOD! LET'S GO BACK TO THE STATION TO VERIFY THE BLACK PIKACHU'S CLAIM! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone declared.

Team Legend, the black Pikachu, Pyro, and her K9 Police Force members followed Sheriff Magnezone as he brought them back to Treasure Town. Entering the Police Station, Joy wrapped an arm around the black Pikachu to comfort him. Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar stayed close to the pair, nervous.

"You have brought him?" a strange-looking bird with eye-like markings on his chest asked.

"BZZZT! THIS IS HIM, XATU! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone confirmed, turning to the black Pikachu.

"You wish to determine whether he is telling the truth, yes?" the bird, Xatu, asked. "I shall supply you with an answer. Please step forward, young one."

"Go on. It's okay," Joy reassured, gentling pushing the black Pikachu forward.

The Electric-type nervously approached the Flying/Psychic-type, red eyes darting around the room in fear. Xatu nodded once the black Pikachu was before him and spread his wings. The black Pikachu yelped, stepping backward in fright.

"Do not be afraid, young one. Pay attention to me." Xatu instructed, lowering his wings once more. "The answer lies within you. Look me in the eyes and do not be afraid. I hold the key to either your imprisonment…or your freedom."

Reluctantly, the black Pikachu looked Xatu in the eyes and tried to force back his fear. The moment his red eyes locked with Xatu's, it felt like his mind was being probed. He was almost drowning in those big eyes and felt like he couldn't breathe. It was terrifying. He wanted it to stop.

Suddenly, the feeling ceased and the black Pikachu fell to his knees. Joy rushed to his side, helping him stand back up. Xatu blinked curiously, staring into space as he processed the information he had gathered. Sheriff Magnezone and Pyro stood by, waiting patiently for his answer.

"Well?" Carlos asked. "What did you see?"

"Darkness," Xatu replied. "Much darkness…and pain. Nothing specific but those were what I felt most. Sadness, too. Much, much sorrow."

"Is he telling the truth or not?!" Pyro demanded.

"BZZZT! PYRO, CALM DOWN! WE MUSTN'T RUSH THIS! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said.

"My answer…is yes." Xatu finally said.

"Yes? To what?" Cliff asked.

"The young one speaks the truth. He truly cannot remember the events you requested of him. He cannot remember anything at all." Xatu explained.

"Nothing?" Sandra questioned.

"Nothing at all, not even his own name," Xatu said, lowering his head. "It appears that some recent event triggered amnesia in him."

"Amnesia? So what?! He's still a criminal! This changes nothing!" Pyro barked. "Sheriff Magnezone, I'll be taking him to the prison now."

"No," Xatu argued. "Without memory of his crime, he is innocent."

"Innocent, my tail!" Pyro snapped.

"BZZZT! XATU IS CORRECT! WE CANNOT IMPRISON HIM FOR A CRIME HE CANNOT REMEMBER COMMITING! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone stated. "BZZZT! WE SHOULD THINK OF AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION TO THIS! IF HIS MEMORIES WERE TO RETURN, WE MUST BE THERE TO SEE IF HE REVERTS BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL BEHAVIOR! BZZZT!"

Carlos looked at the black Pikachu in shock. _He has amnesia! Just like…me,_ he thought.

Sandra, Lucar, and Joy came to the same conclusion. The black Pikachu looked lost, unable to figure out what they meant. Did they know why he couldn't remember anything anymore?

_/Memories are precious to us. It holds most of our lives, our relationships, our goals…almost everything. To forget it all is horrible. It was bad enough when Carlos said he couldn't remember anything when Lucar and I first met him. The black Pikachu, on the other hand…well, let's just say his missing memories would change us later on./_

"Well, I guess that defeats the purpose of our presence. When he becomes a criminal again, we'll take him." Pyro grumbled. "Let's go, K9 Police Force! It's a long trek home!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the group of Growlithe cried.

"BZZZT! NOW THEN, WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH HIM? BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone wondered.


	33. Chapter 32: To Labyrinth Cave!

Chapter 32: To Labyrinth Cave!

Joy looked at Carlos and smiled. "How about he joins us?" she suggested.

"What?! You're kidding! He's a criminal, remember?!" Sandra cried.

"BZZZT! I, TOO, MUST OBJECT! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said.

"Think about it!" Joy pleaded. "He's practically a little kid now! He has no memories, no place to go, and no family that he can remember."

"Joy's right," Carlos agreed. "He doesn't remember Thrax, either."

"His aura's never emanated pure evil, like Thrax's does." Lucar added. "His aura was more confused, fearful, even sad. He even said himself that Thrax kidnapped him."

"But still…he attacked us." Sandra reminded.

"Wild Pokemon attack us everyday, Sandra. Does that make them evil?" Lucar asked. "They're simply defending their territory from intruders. He was following Thrax's orders because he didn't want to get hurt."

"…You're right," the Eevee admitted.

"BZZZT! AND WHAT OF WHAT PYRO SAID? BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone asked. "BZZZT! WHAT SHOULD WE DO IF HE REGAINS HIS MEMORIES AND BECOMES A CRIMINAL AGAIN? BZZZT!"

"We'll hand him over to you and you can lock him up." Carlos said. "Right now, he hasn't done anything wrong. He fled because he was scared. You'd do the same thing if you woke up in a strange place with no memories and people accusing you of things you don't remember doing."

"BZZZT! I GUESS THAT IS TRUE! FINE! YOU CAN TAKE HIM WITH YOU IF YOU WISH! I WANT TO BE INFORMED OF ANY CHANGES IN HIS BEHAVIOR, THOUGH! UNDERSTOOD? BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said, giving in.

"Thank you, Sheriff Magnezone!" Joy cried.

"BZZZT! I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK! NOT MANY EXPLORATION TEAMS DARE TO ADD CRIMINALS TO THEIR TEAMS! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone commented. "BZZZT! ONLY A FEW OF THE MORE POWERFUL TEAMS, ESPECIALLY TEAM MOONLIGHT, HAVE EVER DONE SUCH A THING! BZZZT!"

_Team Moonlight,_ Sandra thought. _The Exploration Team that went missing in Brine Cave six years ago. I wonder what happened to them in there._

_/It would be a long time still before we'd ever actually meet Team Moonlight in person. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be under the best of circumstances. If anything, it was probably one of the worst times ever to meet the most famous Exploration Team in history. And it would only be harder on Carlos. Why, you ask? Just wait a while and you'll find out./_

"Well, we better get going. We've got missions to go on. Bye, Sheriff Magnezone!" Carlos waved goodbye as he led his teammates back to Wigglytuff's Guild, the black Pikachu in tow.

"Where are we going?" the black Pikachu asked.

"To Wigglytuff's Guild," Joy replied. "You'll be staying with us, um… You know, we need to think of a name for you until you can remember your old name."

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. "Calling him 'black Pikachu' would get annoying after a while. Any ideas, guys?"

"He's black, right?" Lucar asked. "Why not Blackie? It's simple and easy to remember."

"Seems almost _too_ simple, Lucar." Carlos pointed out.

"He's pretty much a kid now, remember?" Lucar shot back.

"I like it," the black Pikachu said. "Blackie… I am Blackie."

"Blackie, it is!" Joy announced. "Welcome to Team Legend, Blackie. Don't worry. Everyone is here to help you, so don't be scared."

"Okay," the black Pikachu, now named Blackie, said. "Thank you."

"No problem!" Joy replied, smiling. "You kind of remind me of David."

"David?" Blackie repeated.

Before the Raichu could explain, Carlos suddenly held out an arm to stop his teammates. They were in front of Wigglytuff's Guild but a trio of Pokemon were exiting the Guild, forcing the Pikachu and his teammates to step aside to let them pass. It was a Pikachu, a Squirtle, and a Blastoise. The Pikachu stopped, turning toward them.

"Hey, I've never seen you guys around her before," he commented. "Are you the new Exploration Team everyone's been talking about lately?"

"If you mean Team Legend, then yeah. That's us!" Carlos nodded.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Bradley and these are my teammates, Luffy and KC. We're Team Shell Shock!" the Pikachu, Bradley, introduced.

"I'm Carlos, leader of Team Legend." Carlos introduced. "This is Sandra, Lucar, Joy, and Blackie, my teammates. We have three more but they're downstairs in our room."

"I've never seen a black Pikachu before! Cool!" the Squirtle, KC, cried.

"Hey, I heard a black Pikachu was following that Big Five criminal, Thrax the Toxicroak, around. Didn't you capture him, though?" the Blastoise, Luffy, asked. "I never knew there were two of them."

"This is the same guy," Carlos admitted. "He got amnesia back in Steam Cave and he decided to join our team. Sheriff Magnezone will be keeping an eye on us, though."

"Wow! He's a criminal?" KC asked.

"_Was_, actually," Joy cut in. "He doesn't remember. He's practically a kid now. He's innocent."

"Until he turns around and stabs you in the back," Luffy muttered.

Sparks shot from Joy's cheeks. "Did you say something?" she asked, the smile never fading from her lips.

"Nope! Not a thing!" Luffy quickly denied. _Crud! I don't want to get toasted before we even get started on our daily training!_

"I thought so," Joy said, smile never wavering. The sparks died down and the Blastoise sighed in relief.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you guys around here since we joined up." Carlos commented.

"We were off on an expedition of our own to Mystery Jungle." Bradley explained. "We heard there was a strange Pokemon lurking there but we didn't find anything. It was a total failure! A waste of time, really,"

"We're onto something bigger, though." KC added. "We're looking for a princess!"

"KC!" Luffy barked.

"What?! Oh…oops?" the Squirtle squeaked.

"It's okay," Bradley said. "It won't be a secret for much longer, anyway."

"What won't be a secret?" Lucar asked.

"A few days ago, the Northern Desert Kingdom's princess was kidnapped by a pair of thieves." Luffy explained. "They haven't been sighted yet but Chatot told us to keep an eye out for anything that could lead to her whereabouts. Nobody's heard from the king or queen, either. It's a real mess."

"That sounds horrible! Who would do such a thing?" Sandra cried.

"Probably Thrax," Carlos commented.

"Just what I was thinking," Bradley said. "This sounds like something he would do."

"Bradley, we better go. We've got a training schedule to uphold, remember?" Luffy reminded.

"Oh, yeah!" the Pikachu cried, nodding to his bigger teammate. "Hey, if you see anything that might be related to the princess, tell us right away."

"Okay!" Carlos agreed. "Thanks for telling us."

"No problem. See you later!" Bradley led his two teammates down the steps and into Treasure Town.

"Well, that was interesting." Joy commented. "I hope that princess is okay."

"Let's get Zuzu and Luv so we can get some rescue work done today." Carlos said, climbing down the ladder to the second floor. "Joy, do you mind staying behind with Blackie and Michael?"

"Of course not! Besides, Michael's still too young to go on adventures and Blackie can barely fight without losing control of his electricity." Joy noted. "You guys be careful, okay?"

"We will, Joy." Carlos promised, reaching the door to their room. "Luv, Zuzu! Come on! We're going on a mission!"

"Finally!" Luv cried, dashing out of the room. "Whoa! Hold up! What's he doing here?!" She pointed to Blackie.

"Isn't he a criminal?" Zuzu asked, flapping out after the Piplup.

"He has amnesia," Lucar explained. "He's officially joined our team. He'll be staying behind with Joy and Michael."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Luv asked.

"I'm certain," Carlos replied. "Besides, Joy can handle herself if something bad happens."

"Okay," Luv muttered, giving up on the subject. _He hasn't done anything yet. Could he really have forgotten about Thrax?_

"Hey, let's do one last check at the Bulletin Boards before we go." Lucar suggested. "Dugtrio may have added some new missions. The more work, the more rewards."

"Good idea, Lucar!" Carlos said.

The five members of Team Legend headed upstairs to check the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board. Sandra and Luv did a quick scan but found nothing interesting. Carlos sighed, leaning against the Outlaw Notice Board.

His sight started fading, making the Pikachu panic at first. He felt very dizzy and stumbled forward, nearly hitting the ground. Lucar caught him and asked him questions, but Carlos couldn't hear him. The Electric-type soon fell limp in his teammate's arms.

In the vision, he saw a pair of criminals race through a sandy cave and enter a huge cavern. A large Pokemon stood before them but Carlos couldn't make out what it was. The two criminals fled as the larger figure attacked, leaving a writhing bag behind. The large figure approached the bag as a scream echoed through the cavern.

"Somebody, help me! Please!" It was a girl's voice.

Carlos snapped awake, the vision vanishing. _What was that?! Another vision? I've been getting a lot of those lately. I wonder why…_

"Carlos, are you okay?" Sandra asked.

"Yeah, I just got another vision." Carlos said.

"What did you see?" Lucar asked.

Luv and Zuzu looked at each other in confusion. "Vision?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah," Lucar nodded. "You see, Carlos seems to be able to see certain events in both the past and the future. He usually sees visions related to something he has touched, like a wanted poster or an Apple."

"Wow! Really?!" Luv cried.

"I never know anyone but Psychic-type Pokemon could get visions!" Zuzu commented.

"Well, we think it's linked to something else about Carlos." Lucar added. "That's the fact that he's—"

"Lucar," Carlos interrupted. "How about we tell them tonight?"

"Okay," the blind Riolu nodded.

_/Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to tell them tonight. It would be a bit longer before Luv and Zuzu discovered that Carlos was actually a human. But they wouldn't be the only ones to find out./_

"So, how did Carlos get his vision this time?" Luv asked. "What did he touch?"

"I think it was this wanted poster," Sandra commented, pointing one out.

"What does it say?" Carlos asked.

Sandra pulled it down and began to read. "Be on the look out for these two suspicious characters. They are a pair of criminals, Tyrogue and Magby, known to perform terrible deeds of theft and kidnapping. They were last sighted near Labyrinth Cave. Help bring these two to justice!" The Eevee sighed. "It's a warrant from Sheriff Magnezone."

"Carlos, did you see Magby and Tyrogue in your vision?" Zuzu asked.

"I think so," Carlos replied. "I saw two Pokemon running through a sandy cave with a sack. They reached a cavern and ran away after they were attacked by this big Pokemon. They left the sack behind and somebody cried for help. I couldn't really see anyone specific, to be honest."

"Labyrinth Cave? I've never heard of that place before." Sandra commented. "Is it a new mystery dungeon?"

"I know that place!" Zuzu cried. The Zubat flapped her pink and green wings happily. "My flock and I used to roost there! We were driven out by the local Golbat flock, though. They're all mean and nasty."

"If this is where your vision takes place, it must be important." Lucar said.

"Then we better go. Zuzu, what else can you tell us about Labyrinth Cave?" Carlos asked.

"Well, it's ten floors long and most of the wild Pokemon are below Level 10. It's really easy to explore." Zuzu explained. "It's the last floor that scares everyone. A super-strong Pokemon is said to be there. It's fast and strong, said to even be able to whip up sandstorms to protect itself."

"That definitely sounds scary!" Sandra whimpered.

"I'm sure those criminals were at the bottom floor," Carlos muttered. "That big Pokemon must've been the Pokemon everyone's scared of. We have to check this out, guys."

"Okay! Let's go!" Zuzu cried.

"About time we had another adventure!" Luv commented.

"I hope we'll be okay," Sandra said.

"With all of us working as a team, I'm sure we'll all do fine." Lucar reassured.

"Since we're all ready, let's go! To Labyrinth Cave, guys!" Carlos cried.

"HOORAY!!" the five members of Team Legend cheered.

As they left Wigglytuff's Guild and headed to the crossroads, Team Shell Shock quickly rushed up the steps after Chatot. Climbing down the ladder, the three explorers watched Chatot search the Outlaw Notice Board frantically. Chatot suddenly began to panic, unable to locate the mission.

"Where is it?! I swear it was here a minute ago! I'm not kidding!" Chatot yelled, scanning the board over and over.

"Chatot, are you certain?" Luffy asked. "Maybe you were mistaken."

"Mistaken?! How can I be mistaken?!" Chatot screamed. "I'm Head of Intelligence, for Arceus' sake! How could I be mistaken about something as important as this?!"

"Okay, okay! Cool it, Chatot!" Luffy yelped.

"Chatot, calm down!" Bradley barked. "Look, maybe somebody else took it. We just have to find them before they take off and get in serious trouble."

"Yes! You're right!" Chatot nodded. "Just ask around and see if anyone else may have taken it."

KC walked up to Chimecho. "Hey, did anyone just take a mission from the Outlaw Notice Board?" he asked.

"Yes, I think Team Legend did." Chimecho replied. "Carlos fainted for a moment and then he woke up. His whole team started panicking over a mission and then they were excited. They left just a moment ago."

"Team Legend?! Those rookies can't handle this!" Luffy cried.

"Don't forget, they took out Groudon." Bradley reminded. "Sure, it was an illusion but it had to have had the same strength a real Groudon would possess. I think they might be able to handle this for a little while."

"Chatot, do you remember what mystery dungeon it was in?" KC asked.

"Uh…I believe it was Labyrinth Cave." Chatot said. "The bottom floor, if memory serves."

"Bottom floor of Labyrinth Cave? That's gonna be tough." Luffy grumbled.

"But we'll have the advantage with you and KC if we're attacked by the Pokemon said to be on that floor." Bradley reminded. "We have to move…fast!"

Bradley led KC and Luffy out of the Guild and down to the crossroads, running as fast as they could toward Labyrinth Cave.

_Entrance to Labyrinth Cave…_

"Here we are," Carlos said. "Labyrinth Cave,"

"It looks like those criminals are already inside." Luv noted, pointing to a pair of footprints leading inside.

"We better go then. Follow me!" Carlos ordered, entering the cavern.

On the first floor, Carlos picked up 35 poke and used Quick Attack against a nearby Nidorino. Lucar easily finished it off with Force Palm, allowing them to continue through a few corridors. They were ambushed by a Golbat that quickly used Astonish to injure Carlos. Zuzu knocked it back with Wing Attack, letting Luv finish it off with Peck. They found the stairs in the next room and climbed down them.

On the second floor, a Nidorina succeeded in poisoning Sandra before it was knocked out by Carlos' Thunderbolt. Carlos picked up an Oran Berry and led them through a few passages, picking up 40 poke along the way. They ended up in a maze-like room filled with water that prevented a Nidorina from getting to them. Team Legend carefully navigated around the Poison-type and dashed down the stairs on the other side of the room.

On the third floor, they were forced to traverse through tons of small rooms. Carlos grabbed a Warp Orb and fought off a Nidorina, defeating it with Quick Attack. Another Nidorina ambushed them in the corridors, only to fall to Luv's Bubble. It took a long time but they managed to find the stairs before anything too bad happened.

On the fourth floor, they went through a few halls before locating the stairs. Carlos grabbed 3 Silver Spikes before charging down the steps.

On the fifth floor, they had to go through another long maze of small rooms. A Nidorina poisoned Luv before attempting to flee, only to be electrocuted by Carlos. A Machop jumped them in the next room, easily falling to Zuzu's Wing Attack. A pair of dead ends forced them to fight against a Golbat to escape, beating it with Sandra's Shadow Ball. Carlos picked up a Pecha Berry, using it to cure Luv before continuing on. They found the stairs immediately afterward, though.

On the sixth floor, they ran through a couple of halls before encountering a Golbat. This one enjoyed draining Carlos' health with Leech Life, only to have it knocked out by Lucar's Force Palm. Before it fell, it confused Sandra. Team Legend was careful to keep the Eevee close until she recovered from it. A Machop attacked soon after, Zuzu easily getting rid of it. A pair of Golbat ambushed them in another room a short time later, forcing the entire Exploration Team to fight them both off. Upon finding the stairs, they happily raced down them.

On the seventh floor, everything went smoothly. The stairs were in the next room, surprisingly enough. After picking up a Pounce Orb, they went down the stairs.

On the eighth floor, Carlos grabbed 64 poke before searching the surrounding corridors. They found the stairs with relative ease, going down them just seconds before a Golbat would've struck them.

On the ninth floor, Carlos munched on an Apple to satisfy his growling stomach. Upon entering a room, they soon were surrounded by a bunch of Nidorina, Nidorino, Machop, and Golbat. Sandra and Luv both panicked while Carlos and Lucar fell into fighting positions. The wild Pokemon prepared to fight back, too.

"What's going on?!" Sandra cried.

"It's a Monster House," Zuzu explained. "They're rare but usually occur in a room full of either lots of items or a few rare items. They're difficult to fight against but the rewards are great if you beat them all."

"Lucar, ready to beat these guys?" Carlos asked.

"You bet!" the blind Riolu replied.

"Let's do this!" Carlos cried, charging.

After defeating all of the enemy Pokemon, Carlos went around to pick up the items scattered through it. He found a TM for Payback, 37 poke, a Nifty Box, and a Yellow Gummi. Carlos devoured the Yellow Gummi immediately before knocking out a Nidorino that just entered the room with Quick Attack. Going to the next room, Carlos grabbed an Oran Berry before going down the stairs to the final floor.

Team Legend arrived in a large cavern, just like the one in Carlos' vision. The moment they entered the room, they heard screaming. Dashing deeper into the room, they saw Tyrogue and Magby drop the sack and try to flee. Zuzu stopped the pair with Confuse Ray, allowing Carlos to tie them up.

"Somebody, help! Please!" a voice from inside the sack cried.

The Pikachu dashed toward the abandoned sack. "Hey, it's okay. We're here to save you," he said.

A large shadow covered Carlos and before he could identify it, he was sent flying by a single swipe. Crashing to the ground, Carlos' teammates quickly rushed to his side. Wiping blood from his mouth, the Electric-type struggled to his feet and glared at his attacker.

"So, are you the super-strong Pokemon everyone says lives down here?" Carlos asked.

The figure smirked. "Of course I am!" Stepping out of the shadows, it revealed itself to be a Gabite. "I don't know why you're all invading my territory like this but I'll make you regret coming here."

"Why does everything have to be solved by a fight?" Sandra muttered.

"Fine," Carlos said. "Bring it on, Gabite!"


	34. Chapter 33: Battle in A Sandstorm

Chapter 33: Battle in A Sandstorm

"Sandstorm!" Gabite yelled, using his claws to kick up a bunch of sand and whip up a mighty sandstorm.

Team Legend, with the exception of the blind Lucar, shielded their eyes as best they could from the flying sand. "So this is the power to command sandstorms," Lucar commented. "This won't be easy, Carlos."

"When is it _ever_ easy?" Carlos asked.

"Never," Lucar replied, smiling.

"Right!" Carlos nodded, smiling back. "Sandstorm or no, we'll still kick his butt! Let's go, guys!"

"I don't think so!" Gabite growled, charging.

"Scatter!" Carlos cried.

The five members of Team Legend split up, avoiding Gabite's Dragon Claw altogether. The Dragon/Ground-type smirked, a plan forming in his mind. He kicked up even more sand, making the storm much worse. Soon, he couldn't see anything around him…but neither could Team Legend!

"Guys! Where are you?" Sandra wailed, scared.

"Sandra! Over here!" she heard Luv cry, but it sounded so far away.

"What?" Sandra cried, the Piplup's words becoming too faded and distorted to understand.

"OVER HERE!" Luv screamed but even then, the words were ripped from her throat and destroyed by the roaring wind.

Zuzu looked around, noting that she was alone too. Flapping her pink and green wings, she focused and shot a beam of sound from her mouth. Like others of her kind, Zuzu had to use echolocation to properly see. Ignoring the rebounds she gained from the sand, she soon noticed something big was coming her. And it was too big to be her companions!

Flapping her wings, the shiny Zubat shot toward the ceiling and roosted. Looking around, she realized the sandstorm didn't reach the ceiling. It wasn't much but there was room on the ceiling to properly see and attack Gabite from. Taking her chance, she unleashed a Wing Attack upon Gabite.

Gabite roared in pain as the attack hit him, forcing him to retaliate. Jumping toward a wall, he leaped off of it and propelled himself toward the ceiling. Zuzu screamed, attempting to fly away as Gabite used Dragon Claw to attack the ceiling. The Zubat was caught in the back and sent flying to the ground. She managed to roll away before he could hit her again.

"One down, four to go," Gabite said, approaching the injured Zubat. He stepped on her wing to stop her from escaping. "Goodbye, little Zu—AAAH!"

"Zuzu, run!" Luv cried, firing a Bubblebeam at Gabite's turned back.

"Get…OFF!" Gabite roared, turning around and lashing out with Dragon Claw.

Luv dodged, attacking his arm with Peck and leaping away before he could strike her. Zuzu whimpered, her wing aching from being stepped on. A pair of hands helped her up, revealing it to be Carlos. Gabite kept getting further away, driven by his need to teach Luv a lesson.

"Are you okay?" the Pikachu asked.

"I think so," Zuzu nodded.

"I don't think it's broken." Carlos commented.

"Yeah," Zuzu agreed.

"We better help Luv," a voice added.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded…only to whirl around in surprise. "Whoa! Don't do that, man!"

"Sorry. It was irresistible." Lucar said, smiling. "I found Sandra, too. Like I was saying, Luv can't handle that big Gabite on her own."

"I know," Carlos replied. "Let's go help her out!"

"Maybe we should look for that sack, too." Sandra reminded.

"Oh, yeah! We should!" Carlos cried, remembering the cry he heard from the sack. "Lucar, can you sense anything aside from Gabite and us?"

"If you mean other than the two criminals too, then yes, but it's faint." Lucar said. "The sand is blocking most of my aura vision because it's moving so quickly. It's near the back of the cavern, though. That much I'm certain of."

"Let's deal with Gabite and then we can help whoever is in there." Carlos declared.

"Then we better hurry. Luv's having trouble avoiding Gabite." Lucar pointed out.

"Let's go!" the Pikachu cried, racing toward the silhouettes of Gabite and Luv in the distance.

_On the other side of Labyrinth Cave Pit…_

Luv was indeed having trouble avoiding Gabite and his attacks. Gabite was bigger and faster, if only by a small amount, then she was. She had no advantage since she didn't know any Ice-type moves to fight Gabite's Dragon-type half. Bubblebeam was her best bet as an offensive move due to Gabite's Ground-type half, followed up with Aqua Ring to heal herself. Earthquake and Peck were next to useless at the moment.

"Dragon Rage!" Gabite roared, breathing a column of purple flames at her.

"Bubblebeam!" Luv cried, fighting back with her bubbles.

It wasn't long before the flames overpowered her bubbles, hitting the Piplup directly. Luv cried out in pain as she crashed to the ground. Gabite hit her with Dragon Claw, sending her skidding across the cavern floor. Landing flat on her back, Luv coughed and struggled to rise. Gabite rested a foot on her back, pushing her back down.

"This is what happens to those who enter my territory." Gabite said. "Back down and I might let you go."

"N-never," Luv said, gasping for breath. "We just want the bag those criminals dropped. We don't want to fight!"

"They dropped it in my lair. It's mine now." Gabite growled. "Leave or perish, kid."

"Leave her alone!" a voice cried. "Shadow Ball!"

"GYAAAAH!" The Dragon/Ground-type stumbled away, pain erupting from his back where the ball of black energy hit him.

Sandra was at Luv's side in an instant. "Luv, are you okay?" the Eevee asked.

"Yeah," Luv nodded, getting to her feet. "Just sore, but I can still fight."

Sandra nodded, only to blink in confusion as she noticed something. As Luv struggled to stand, the blue cape on her back shifted to reveal what looked like part of a scar. The cape quickly hid it again when the Piplup stood up fully.

_/You'll find out the story behind Luv's scar soon enough. You already know a portion of the story from how Luv came to lose her family, but there's an added portion that Luv hadn't originally told us. It will also explain how Thrax and his goons came to want Luv for their own nefarious plans./_

"You little pests!" Gabite growled. "Dragon Rage!"

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos cried.

The lightning and purple flames collided, fighting to overpower each other. Gabite smiled as his flames began to overwhelm the Pikachu…only to cry out in pain as Lucar threw a Force Palm at his turned back. The electricity bounced off of Gabite due to his Ground-type half, though.

"Great job, Lucar!" Carlos complimented.

"No problem! But we still don't have a good advantage," the blind Riolu said.

"Then we'll just have to beat him with pure strength!" Zuzu declared. "There are five of us and one of him! We can still beat him!"

"Zuzu's right! Let's give it all we've got!" Sandra cried.

"Yeah!" Luv agreed.

"I don't care if there's five or five hundred of you! I'll still take you down!" Gabite growled. "Dragon Claw!"

"Scatter and attack him from all sides!" Carlos ordered, leaping away as the glowing claw neared him.

The five members of Team Legend separated, surrounding Gabite on all sides. Then they attacked.

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos cried.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra yelled.

"Force Palm!" Lucar shouted.

"Wing Attack!" Zuzu cried.

"Bubblebeam!" Luv yelled.

"GAAAAH!" Gabite roared, crashing to his knees in pain.

"A little more, guys! Don't give up!" Carlos encouraged. "We almost have him!"

The five attacks increased in strength, causing the Dragon/Ground-type more pain. With a burst of energy, Gabite managed to get to his feet and whirl around as fast as he could. A huge tornado of sand surrounded him, blowing away his attackers. Coming to a stop, Gabite stomped toward Carlos.

"You guys are probably the most persistent pests I've ever met!" Gabite declared. "Unfortunately, this fight ends now. Dragon—"

"Shadow Ball!"

"GAAAAH! Who dares…?" Gabite snapped, whipping around.

"Leave Carlos alone!" Sandra shouted. "Shadow Ball!"

Gabite crossed his arms over his face as a barrage of black energy spheres crashed into him. Lucar dashed toward Carlos and pulled him to his feet, dragging the Pikachu out of the way as Gabite took a step backward to steady himself. The Eevee kept her attacks going, refusing to back down.

_I won't let Carlos get killed by that guy,_ Sandra thought. _Carlos saved me twice so far! Once from the ocean and once from Dusk! I still have to repay him…for everything! The courage he gave me, his kindness, his friendship, everything!_

"Sandra," Carlos whispered, watching as his teammate took on Gabite all by herself.

_/Attacking Gabite by myself was just the start of me throwing aside my cowardice and becoming a true explorer. Carlos changed me in ways he never imagined he could. I'm grateful for everything he has ever done for me./_

"Don't just watch, Carlos! We've got to help her!" Luv cried.

"Right!" Carlos nodded, jumping to his feet.

"You little…brat!" Gabite yelled, escaping from the line of fire. "Take this! Dragon Claw!"

"WAAAH!" Sandra screamed, crashing to the ground a few feet away.

"Sandra!" Carlos cried.

Gabite panted for breath. "You're quite an annoyance. Best to get rid of you right now," he muttered. "And I know the best way!"

"Stay away from Sandra, you creep!" Luv shouted. "Bubblebeam!"

"Why not just get rid of all three of you, ladies? That'll just leave two opponents for me to deal with!" Gabite chuckled.

"We won't fall easily!" Zuzu declared. "Leech Life!"

"You'll be surprised how easily women fall to my power, little Zubat!" Gabite replied, a golden ball of energy forming in his claws. "Take this!"

Throwing the golden sphere forward, it split into three heart-shaped blasts that struck all three of Team Legend's female fighters. Sandra, Luv, and Zuzu crashed to the ground, winded from the attack. Carlos dashed to Sandra's side, leaving Zuzu and Luv in Lucar's care.

"Sandra, are you okay?" he asked. "Sandra, answer me!"

"Huh? Where…?" Sandra opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing her head. "What hit me?"

"Some weird attack of Gabite's," the Pikachu replied.

"Gabite?" Sandra asked, looking up.

"Zuzu and Luv look okay, too!" Lucar cried as the pair sat up.

Gabite smiled as the three girls looked at him. "Why, hello, ladies~!" he greeted.

"Wow! He's so…cute!" Zuzu cried.

"When did he get here? Oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed!" Luv yelped, covering her eyes with her flippers. "Zuzu, is he looking at me?"

"No way! He's looking at me!" Zuzu replied.

"Why you? I'm the cuter one!" the Piplup cried.

"Not with that beak," Zuzu pointed out.

"Don't even start! You couldn't even kiss with those fangs of yours!" Luv growled.

"At least I have teeth!" the Zubat shot back.

"Zuzu, Luv, stop!" Lucar cried. "What's gotten into you?"

"BACK OFF!" Zuzu and Luv shouted.

"Eep!" The blind Riolu ran toward Carlos. "What's gotten into them?"

"I don't know," Carlos replied. "Sandra, do you…know?"

The Eevee was paying no attention to her squabbling teammates, her eyes fixed on Gabite. A blush was crossing her furry cheeks. "Wow… He's beautiful," she whispered.

"Oh, no! Not you, too!" Carlos cried. "Lucar, what's going on?"

"Can't figure it out yet?" Gabite laughed. "This is the power of my favorite attack…Attract."

"I don't believe I didn't recognize that! Crud!" Lucar cried, smacking his forehead.

"Attract? What does that do?" Carlos asked. "Remember? Not of this world!"

"Sorry," the Riolu replied. "Attract effects only those who are opposite gender of the one who used the attack. Gabite is male, so his Attract only affects girls. It prevents them from attacking because they're in love with him!"

"I-I-In love?" Carlos yelped.

"Yeah," Lucar nodded.

"You…" Carlos whirled around to face Gabite. "Stop it! Leave them alone!"

"Why? Are you jealous?" Gabite asked, smirking.

"No! I'm mad that you're manipulating my friends' feelings like that! Stop it right now!" Carlos demanded.

"Defeat me and Attract will cease its effects," Gabite said. "Of course, there are only two of you now. Can you really beat me?"

"We'll beat you…or die trying," Carlos declared.

"I'm really not the type to kill my opponents, but if you insist." Gabite replied. "Dragon Rage!"

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos cried.

Purple flames and golden electricity collided, fighting for power once again. This time, Carlos' electricity was quickly gaining the upper hand. In a last-ditch effort to beat the Pikachu, Gabite broke off of his attack and dodged, lunging with Dragon Claw. Carlos raced away with Quick Attack, sparks flying from his cheeks as the Dragon/Ground-type missed him.

"Lucar, now!" Carlos shouted.

"Force Palm!" Lucar cried, slamming his paw against Gabite's exposed back.

"GYAAAH!" Gabite roared. "Get off, pest!" he yelled, twisting around to try and knock the Riolu away.

Lucar jumped off of Gabite's back and reunited with Carlos. They were both prepared to strike again. Gabite gasped for breath, growing tired of all the running around and fighting. He was nearly on his last legs.

"You pests…are pretty good," Gabite complimented. "If you defeat me, not only will I free your friends and hand over the sack those two intruders dropped, but I'll give you a good reward."

"Then we have even more reason to defeat you!" Carlos pointed out.

"This fight is turning out to be fun," Gabite replied. "Hit me with your best shot!"

"Lucar, let's do this!" Carlos cried.

"Right!" the blind Riolu nodded.

Lucar and Carlos charged with Quick Attack, putting all their strength into it. Gabite readied a Dragon Claw and lunged at Lucar, only to cry out as the Riolu dodged and bit his arm. Gabite easily tossed Lucar aside, a small amount of blood oozing from the bite wounds. Lucar managed to survive the toss with Endure and smirked.

"This fight…is over!" Lucar cried.

"Really? Prove it!" Gabite challenged.

"Gladly!" Carlos shouted, electricity exploding from his cheeks as he sped toward the Dragon/Ground-type.

"Huh?" Gabite took a step back. "What the…?"

Electricity surrounded Carlos as his speed increased, making him looking like an electrical bullet. The Pikachu smirked as he dodged Gabite's feeble attempt to stop him with Dragon Claw, homing in on Gabite's chest. This would end the battle…or Carlos hoped it would. If it didn't, he wouldn't be able to continue fighting.

"VOLT TACKLE!" Carlos yelled, crashing into Gabite's chest.

"GYAAAAAAAH!" Gabite roared.

The entire cavern lit up so brightly that even the Pokemon trapped inside of the sack saw it. _Could that be…?_

Carlos crashed to the ground as the light faded, the last of his energy spent. Gabite coughed but remained standing. A smirk crossed Gabite's lips as he struggled to stay upright.

"Fool," he panted. "I'm immune…to Electric-type attacks. You…lo—"

A blast of ice crashed into his chest, cutting off Gabite's victory speech. Carlos managed to open his eyes just in time to see Gabite crash to the ground, unconscious. Lucar dashed to the Pikachu's side, concerned.

"Did we…win?" Carlos asked.

"Almost," the blind Riolu replied. "The one who gave the finishing blow was—"

"I'm impressed with you, Team Legend," a familiar voice said. "I never thought you could take Gabite on and nearly defeat him."

"It's a good thing we got here, though. Nice work, Team Legend!" another voice chuckled.

"Where did that light come from? That was amazing!" a third voice cried. "We could see it all the way at the entrance of this floor!"

Carlos managed to look up and smiled. "Hey, you guys," he said. "What are you…doing down here?"

"The same reason as you!" the first voice replied. "You owe us now, Team Legend. We just saved your tails."

"Team Shell Shock to the rescue!" the third voice cried.

It was Bradley, Luffy, and KC of Team Shell Shock. Luffy lumbered over to check on Gabite, who was just rousing from being knocked out by the Blastoise's Ice Beam. KC dashed over to the girls of Team Legend, who were waking up from being under the effects of Gabite's Attract. Bradley helped Lucar drag Carlos to his feet.

"You never answered…my question," Carlos commented, still panting for breath. "What are you guys…doing down here?"

"To rescue to poor Pokemon that those kidnappers kidnapped," Bradley replied. "This was dangerous, almost _too dangerous_, for you and your team. Gabite could've killed you!"

"But he didn't," Lucar said.

"He could have," Bradley pointed out.

"Brad, the girls are okay!" KC cried. "Looks like they don't remember what happened, though."

"Attract," Lucar growled.

"Typical," Bradley muttered. "The afflicted never remembers what happened during the time when Attract is activated. Sometimes, it's for the better."

_/Too bad Lucar and Carlos would have to tell me, Luv, and Zuzu, anyway. Attract really sucks! You're forced to fall in love with a complete stranger and you can't stop yourself until somebody beats the guy who you're attracted to. I'm glad I wouldn't have to get hit with that attack too many more times throughout my adventures with Carlos./_

"Gabite's okay," Luffy reported. "He gave me this Gabite Scale for beating him, but I think Team Legend deserves it. They did all the real work, after all."

"Agreed," Bradley nodded.

Lucar accepted the Gabite Scale, dropping it into the Treasure Bag. Zuzu, Luv, and Sandra bounded over, wondering why they couldn't remember anything. Lucar and Carlos silently decided to explain everything later. They had a bigger issue at hand to deal with.

"Time to free this poor kid," Luffy said, indicating the sack the two kidnappers had dropped.

"Zuzu, if you could." Carlos requested.

"Of course!" The green Zubat easily ripped through the sack, freeing the trapped Pokemon. "There we are!"

"It's okay," Sandra said gently. "You're safe now. Those kidnappers are gone."

After a moment of hesitating, the Pokemon decided it was indeed safe. Pulling herself free of the sack, she revealed herself to be a Quilava. The flames on her head and lower back flared up in warning, only to diminish when she sensed no threats. She sighed in relief.

"Thank you so much for freeing me," she said. "I'll be sure to reward you graciously for this. Now then, could anyone tell me where I am?"

"Labyrinth Cave," Luv replied. "We'll be bringing you to Wigglytuff's Guild in Treasure Town, though. Why? Are you lost?"

"No," the Quilava replied. "I'll just need somebody to escort me home."

"And you would be…?" Lucar asked. _Something about her aura… It's almost as though it's glowing brighter than it would in normal Pokemon. But why?_

"My name is Sunburst," the Quilava replied.

"Sunburst? As in…Princess Sunburst of the Northern Desert Kingdom?" Luffy demanded.

"The very same," the Quilava, Sunburst, replied.

"Princess? You mean…" Sandra clapped her paws over her mouth.

"We just saved a princess," Carlos finished his teammate's statement.

"We found her," Bradley said. "We found the princess! We did it, guys!"

While Team Shell Shock celebrated over finally finding the princess, Sunburst and Carlos stared at each other. Carlos stared because he was still in shock over rescuing a princess. Sunburst stared because of two reasons. One was that she guessed that bright light she had faintly seen through the material of the sack had come from him. The other was…

_He's handsome,_ Sunburst thought, blushing. _The most handsome Pikachu I have ever seen._


	35. Chapter 34: Arguments and Decisions

Chapter 34: Arguments and Decisions

"WHAT?" Chatot yelled.

"It's all true, Chatot. The princess was the one those kidnappers had kidnapped." Bradley said.

"We handed the kidnappers over to Sheriff Magnezone for interrogation," Luffy added.

"This is brilliant news!" Chatot cried. "I'm sure the king and queen will be thrilled to hear that their daughter has been found! The crisis in the Northern Desert Kingdom is as good as solved!"

"We just have to bring her home now, right?" KC asked.

"That's what Princess Sunburst said," Bradley confirmed. "She needs escorts to return to her kingdom. Chatot, my team will gladly escort her home. This is _our_ mission, after all."

"Agreed," Chatot nodded. "Pack up! You head out tomorrow! As for the reward, you get—"

"Half of the amount," Bradley interrupted. "Give the other half to Team Legend. They risked their lives to save her and they had no idea who she was until she introduced herself as the princess."

"Are you certain?" Chatot asked.

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "I'm sure."

"All right then," Chatot said. "Out of the 1,000,000 poke reward, you will get 50,000 poke. The other 50,000 poke will go to Team Legend and the rest will go to the Guild."

"Thank you," Bradley replied.

"Where _is_ the princess, anyway?" KC asked. "I haven't seen her since we got back from Labyrinth Cave."

"Probably checking on Team Legend," Luffy answered. "Her real savior is Carlos. I just dealt the finishing blow to Gabite. Carlos and his teammates did all the real work."

"Carlos fought so hard that he passed out from exhaustion the moment we returned to the Guild." Bradley muttered.

"I'll show the princess to her quarters," Chatot said, hopping down the hall to Team Legend's room. "Good luck tomorrow!"

"Thank you, Chatot!" Bradley cried, smiling. _All that hard work and it finally comes to fruition. We've found the princess at long last…but what is this weird feeling I'm getting? A sense of…dread? I wonder why that is._

_Team Legend's room…_

"You're kidding!" Sandra cried. "Luv, Zuzu, and I were in love with Gabite?"

"Eew!" the Piplup whined.

"Gross! I'm glad we didn't kiss him or something!" Zuzu sighed with relief.

"It was because of his Attract that you felt that way. You're okay now, honest." Lucar reassured.

"You girls are making such a fuss over falling in love and you've yet to find the men of your dreams. I wish I was as young and innocent as you." Joy reminisced. "Of course, that was long ago for me."

"I'm glad you're all okay," Blackie said.

"Carlos sleepy!" Michael giggled, tugging on Carlos' tail. "Won't wake up! See?"

"Michael, be nice to poor Carlos!" Joy scolded gently. "He's had a long day! Let him rest!"

"Yes, mommy," the baby Minun muttered.

At the center of all the chatter was Carlos, who was fast asleep in his bed. Bandages were wrapped around his head and chest to cover the injuries he sustained during his fight with Gabite. Seated beside him was Princess Sunburst, who ignored everything around her and watched the sleeping Pikachu quietly.

"Princess, are you okay?" Lucar asked.

"Yes," the Quilava nodded. "Tell me, Riolu. Did this Pikachu create that bright light back in Labyrinth Cave?"

"Bright light?" Lucar repeated. _She must mean Volt Tackle!_ "Well, I guess he did. And my name's Lucar, not Riolu."

"Did he or didn't he, Riolu?" Sunburst asked.

"…He did," Lucar admitted. _Why does she keep calling me Riolu? I told her my name. Maybe she just doesn't like my name or something._

Chatot poked his head into the room. "Princess, I'm here to show you to your quarters," he said cheerfully. "Tomorrow, Team Shell Shock will escort you home."

"Is this Pikachu part of that team?" Sunburst asked, not moving from her spot.

"No, but the leader is a Pikachu." Chatot replied.

"Then I refuse to go with them," Sunburst said firmly. "I will be escorted home by this Pikachu."

"But Princess, Carlos is injured! His wounds won't completely heal for at least another two or three days!" Chatot argued. "We must get you home as soon as possible!"

"If my kingdom misses me so much, they can wait for me another few days. I have made my choice." Sunburst replied. "This Pikachu will escort me home when he is fully healed."

Chatot sighed. "Understood, Princess. Now then, shall I show you to your room?"

"Yes, you may." Sunburst stood up and followed Chatot out of the room.

Team Legend was silent for a few minutes, registering what Princess Sunburst had just said. She had refused to be escorted home by Team Shell Shock. She had chosen to be escorted home by Carlos, even if it meant delaying her homecoming by a few more days. If Carlos had to escort her, that would mean all of Team Legend would be protecting her.

"We're escorting a princess home!" Sandra cried.

"I wonder why she chose us and not Team Shell Shock," Zuzu wondered. "No offense to us, but they're more experienced than we are. We only beat Gabite because Luffy finished him with Ice Beam. We barely stood a chance."

"Agreed," Luv nodded. "Even my Bubblebeam did barely any damage to him. And if we have to go through the Northern Desert to get her home…"

"The Northern Desert isn't as bad as Gabite," Joy pointed out. "He was Level 30. Everything in the Northern Desert is Level 20 up to Level 25. All of us, with the exception of Michael and Blackie, are all above Level 20. We can handle getting Princess Sunburst home."

"Joy's right!" Sandra cried. "We can do this!"

"I think I know why she chose us," Lucar said.

"Why? Tell us, Lucar!" Luv asked.

"She mentioned a 'bright light'. It had to have been Carlos' Volt Tackle." Lucar explained. "Even if Team Shell Shock has more experience, nobody can top Volt Tackle. Princess Sunburst doesn't know where that light came from but she knew it came from Carlos, even though there were two Pikachu in the cavern when she was released from the sack. And also…she seems to have become attached to Carlos, since he saved her."

"Wait! Do you mean she…?" Zuzu asked.

"No," Lucar replied. "It's simply an issue of repaying a debt. He saved her and she trusts him to get her home safely."

"And we _will_ get her home safely!" Sandra vowed.

"For now, how about we all get some rest?" Joy suggested. "It's been a long day."

_/The upcoming days would only be longer for us, especially when we actually set out for the Northern Desert Kingdom. Walking through a burning-hot desert is a miserable trek that stretches on forever…or so it seems. It's not a pleasant experience, not at all. And we wouldn't be the only ones walking through the desert./_

One by one, the members of Team Legend fell asleep. Carlos' dreams took place at the same temple as before with the same Pokemon, only to four blurry figures weren't so blurry anymore. It was Team Yami-Hikari, if Carlos had to guess. But what were they doing in his dreams? He didn't know, but he became very curious about a strange broken tower engulfed in a red aura that was floating in the sky above the temple. Why did it seem familiar to him somehow?

_On the outskirts of Treasure Town…_

"You lost the princess? I thought you were better than that, Thrax!" Snowflake hissed, fur bristling.

"Hey, you can't blame me, baby. Blame the ones who got to her first." Thrax said.

"And that would be…?" the Glaceon asked.

"An Exploration Team but I don't know which one," Thrax replied. "Do what you do best and check around, baby. Find who took her and what they're going to do with her."

"It's obvious what they're going to do with her! They'll take her back to the Northern Desert Kingdom!" Snowflake cried.

"What do we do now, boss?" Raptor asked.

"We go there," Thrax replied. "We get to the kingdom first and jump them when they arrive. We take the princess and get out before they can stop us. We get back here and we're golden. Got it, baby?"

"I got it, boss! That's genius!" the Staraptor cried.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait up!" Snowflake snapped. "I hope by 'we', you mean you and Raptor."

"Not this time, baby. You've got to come with us." Thrax said.

"Thrax, it's a desert! I'll melt!" the Glaceon cried. "I already went there once! Why should I go again?"

"You're not made of ice, baby. Just your attacks are…and your personality at times." the Toxicroak reminded. "You just need to be careful, that's all. I'll need every bit of help I can get if we're going to pull this off. It's time you got in on the action, baby."

"What if I don't want 'in on the action', Thrax? I'm a spy and intelligence gatherer. I'm not a fighter." Snowflake growled.

"Oh, I think I can prove you wrong there. You can fight just fine, baby." Thrax said.

"…Fine," Snowflake sighed. "I'll go. When?"

"Tomorrow evening, when everyone's heading inside for dinner and bed. Sneak out and meet us here," Thrax explained. "We'll head out and travel by night, when the temperature's not so high."

"I'll see you then," Snowflake said, turning away.

"Remember, baby! Find who has her, if you can!" Thrax reminded.

"I'll look around but a princess wouldn't be public knowledge, so don't get your hopes up." Snowflake replied.

"I won't," the Toxicroak said.

With a quick nod, the Glaceon fled from the hidden meeting place and dashed back to Treasure Town. Thrax and Raptor withdrew, fleeing deeper into the forest. Their plans had altered but were still going strong. They just needed to get into position in order to spring the trap…and steal the cheese.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the dungeons…_

"You'll never get away with this!" a voice shouted. "The authorities will realize our absence and investigate!"

"Not if I keep them under the illusion that everything is perfectly fine, my dear King Ty," a smooth voice replied.

"Why? After everything we've done for you! Why do this?" another voice asked, sobbing.

"Because, in order for my goals to be achieved, I need to be in possession of a great amount of power. What better power that that of royalty?" the smooth voice chuckled.

"What have you done to my daughter?" the first voice, King Ty, demanded. "You better not have harmed her, Kadar!"

"I haven't harmed your sweet princess, King Ty. I simply…removed her from the kingdom." Kadar, the owner of the smooth voice, explained.

"What have you done, Kadar?" King Ty roared.

"Only eliminated any chance of a rebellion," Kadar replied. "Trust me, King Ty and Queen Floe. It truly is for the best that the position of power is…traded to a much stronger leader."

"Traded? You put us to sleep in the night and locked us up down here!" King Ty shouted.

"Only because you would never trade your power away willingly," Kadar said. "That's the problem with royalty. You taste a small amount of power and suddenly the whole world is yours to command."

"That is not true and you know it, Kadar!" King Ty argued.

"We trusted you! We cared for you when nobody else would! Why, Kadar?" Queen Floe cried.

"…I have already told you why. This discussion is over," Kadar said firmly. "I will have Tooth and Claw bring you food and water soon. Enjoy your stay."

"Sunburst will return, Kadar!" King Ty yelled. "Mark my words! She will come and put you in your place!"

"She's one measly princess who is incapable of fighting without her loyal bodyguards at her beck and call," Kadar pointed out. "She is of no threat to me. Good day,"

Kadar left the dark and gloomy dungeons, the torchlight revealing him to be a Kadabra. The Psychic-type Pokemon headed up a long flight of stairs until he reached the first floor of the palace, gazing out a nearby window to see the clear night sky above. It was still very warm due to the kingdom being at the heart of the Northern Desert.

A Sandslash stood at attention as Kadar passed. "Has there been any sign of our dear prince returning home?" the Kadabra asked.

"No, sir! Prince Qwil has not been sighted by the Skarmory Patrol, sir!" the Sandslash reported.

"Excellent!" Kadar chuckled. "And the princess? Has she fallen into the hands of our beloved guests?"

"Um…" The Sandslash looked away. "We have no reports of Princess Sunburst being captured by Thrax, sir. I'm…sorry."

"Pity," Kadar muttered. "Maybe that Gabite in Labyrinth Cave has her. Either way, she is out of the way."

"Any further orders, sir?" the Sandslash asked.

"None," Kadar replied. "Carry on,"

"Yes, sir!" The Sandslash dashed away, eager to be out of the Kadabra's presence.

Kadar smirked as it vanished around the corner. Turning, he teleported to the arena below the top floor. A pair of large figures turned to face him, jaws smeared with blood as they feasted on their evening meal. Kadar snapped his fingers and both creatures abandoned their feast, bowing before the Kadabra.

"Tooth, Claw," Kadar said, almost kindly, as he reached out to pat the massive creatures' heads. "Our former monarchs will need a meal soon. After you are finished, drop by the kitchen and find something…remotely edible for them to eat. They must be _starving_ after spending a week in the dungeons."

The two creatures looked at each other and nodded. They quickly returned to their meal, ripping and tearing into the meat hungrily. Kadar nearly gagged at their horrid table manners and teleported away.

He ended up on the top floor, where King Ty and Queen Floe had originally lived before they had been…'removed from power', as Kadar liked to say. The Kadabra collapsed onto the massive bed, heaving a great sigh.

"It's good to be king," he said, smirking.

As he began to drift off, he never noticed a pair of red eyes glaring at him from the window before disappearing, the eyes' owner sliding down the rope it had tied to the windowsill. Reaching the ground, it stuck to the shadows and focused on avoiding the palace guards' aura. After escaping the outer wall, it ran toward the town that surrounded the palace and made a bee-line for a rickety old shack.

Tapping on the door three times, it entered and shielded its eyes as a lantern was lit. The creature was revealed to be a Lucario. A young Buizel with a bandage on his cheek peered up at him, placing the lantern on a barrel. The Lucario sat down on a stool by the barrel, resting a paw on his forehead and sighing.

"Anything?" the Buizel asked.

"No, Teri," the Lucario replied. "He said nothing about Princess Sunburst. He just entered the room and fell asleep. From what I sensed, he went down to the dungeons, spoke with the king and queen, went to the first aboveground floor, spoke with a guard, headed to the arena, spoke with his two warriors, and then headed to the king and queens chambers. I couldn't make out whatever he said to any of them, though."

"What about Qwil? Will he be back soon?" the Buizel, Teri, asked. "Please, Mark! There has to be something!"

"I heard nothing, Teri!" the Lucario, Mark, snapped. Seeing the terrified look on Teri's face, he looked away and sighed. "I'm sorry. There just…doesn't seem to be any hope for us."

"No," Teri whimpered. "Sunburst… She'll come back! I know she will! She's strong, tough as nails! Just like you!"

"Even my training can only get her so far," Mark said. "Admit it, Teri. Unless Qwil returns from his trip early for some miraculous reason, this kingdom is doomed to be ruled by Kadar. It's useless. We're doomed."

"No," Teri said softly.

They sat in silence for a while until three taps sounded on the door. Mark held up a hand as Teri stood up, stopping him. Grabbing his Bone Club, the Lucario approached the door and opened it a crack.

"Who is it?" Mark asked gruffly.

"It's me! Urbana the Skarmory!" a voice replied. "I have news from the south!"

Mark opened the door, allowing the Skarmory into their tiny dwelling. The metallic bird entered, making sure not to bump her head on the ceiling. Teri dashed up and hugged her, received a hug in return from her. Mark sat down at the barrel and motioned for her to join him.

"What news?" Mark asked.

"Good news, hopefully," Urbana replied. "The princess was taken from here by two thieves and brought down south to a place called, I think, Maze Cave."

"Labyrinth Cave," Mark corrected. "I trained there. Continue,"

"One of the Big Five criminals is searching for the princess," Urbana continued. "But that isn't the amazing part. The princess has been found and secured by an Exploration Guild!"

"You mean Sunburst is safe?" Teri cried.

"Thank Arceus," Mark whispered, bowing his head. "Which one, Urbana?"

"I don't remember the name but the Guild was shaped like a big pink bunny," Urbana replied. "I think it was Jigglypuff's Guild. No, that wasn't it! Um…"

"Wigglytuff's Guild?" Mark suggested.

"Yes! That was it!" the Skarmory nodded. "The princess is there! Two Exploration Teams brought her there!"

"Was one of them Team Heroes?" Teri asked, almost excitedly.

"Uh…I don't think so," Urbana said, scratching her head with a wingtip. "One team had a Blastoise, Squirtle, and Pikachu. The other had a Riolu, Eevee, Piplup, Pikachu, and a green Zubat."

"Green? As in, like a shiny Pokemon?" Teri asked.

"Must be," Mark muttered.

"Yes, shiny Pokemon!" Urbana nodded. "I don't when she'll return but it will be soon, hopefully!"

"Urbana, thank you so much!" Mark said, smiling. "Stay with the Skarmory Patrol and report if anything new happens."

"Right!" the Skarmory nodded.

"You should head back," Mark said. "Don't stir up suspicion, you hear?"

"Right! Good luck! Bye!" Urbana headed out the door and took to the sky, kicking up a load of sand along the way.

Teri and Mark smiled at each other. Their hope had been rekindled. Now all they had to do was wait for the princess to return…and overthrow their new leader.


	36. Chapter 35: Memories and Missions

Chapter 35: Memories and Missions

"WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred yelled.

"Ugh…" Carlos opened his eyes, his ears ringing. "Already? Awww…"

"You blathering idiot!" Chatot's voice echoed down the hall. "We have a princess here! Keep it down!"

"A princess?" Loudred yelped.

"Yes, a princess!" Chatot yelled.

The rest of the conversation was lost as Carlos sat up, groaning as his chest ached with the effort. _Princess? Oh, yeah…_ Carlos rubbed his head, yawning.

"Morning, Carlos," Sandra greeted, sitting up.

"Morning, Sandra," Carlos replied, stretching. "What happened after I passed out?"

"Princess Sunburst chose us over Team Shell Shock to escort her home," the Eevee replied. "Isn't that exciting?"

"What? We're taking her home?" Carlos asked, shocked.

"Yep! Only when you're fully healed, though." Sandra reassured.

"Whew!" the Pikachu sighed in relief. "So, how long will that be? Until I'm healed, I mean."

"Chatot said two or three days," Sandra replied.

"I'm fine with that," the Pikachu shrugged. "We could probably do a couple of basic missions while we wait."

"That's what I was thinking," Sandra commented, giggling.

"Great minds think alike," Carlos said.

"Great? I'm not great," Sandra argued.

"Yeah, you are! You're a great friend and a great explorer, Sandra!" Carlos pointed out. "If it weren't for you, Lucar and I might not have had this much fun! At least, that's what I view it as."

"Even when Jealousy got you sent to prison?" Sandra challenged playfully.

"Not entirely enjoyable but, hey, I'm still here." Carlos said. "Every road has a few bumps. I bet it won't be the last."

Sandra couldn't help but laugh. _He always sees the bright side of things,_ she thought. _I'm glad I'm with him. He looks so cute when he smiles and—huh? Did I just…?_

"Uh…Sandra? Are you okay?" Carlos asked. "Your face is red."

"I'm fine," Sandra squeaked, blushing furiously. "Just fine, honest!"

"If you say so," the Pikachu said, not entirely believing her.

"Are you two having fun without us?" a voice asked, startling both of them.

"WAAAH!" Sandra screamed, diving behind Carlos. "Lucar! Don't do that!"

"Do you enjoy scaring people, Lucar?" Carlos asked. _First he scared me in Labyrinth Cave and now this. What's gotten into him?_

"A little bit," the blind Riolu replied. _Sandra's crush is getting more complex,_ he noted. _She still won't completely acknowledge that it's true love, though._

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Zuzu asked, smiling at the startled looks on Sandra and Carlos' faces. "I couldn't resist, honest!"

"Neither could I!" Luv cried, bursting out of bed.

"What is with everyone?" Sandra demanded, fur bristling from fright.

"Nothing~!" Zuzu and Luv sang cheerfully.

"So, what _are_ we doing today?" Lucar asked again.

"I can't do any big or major missions until my wounds are healed." Carlos said. "That doesn't stop me from doing basic missions. I was thinking you, me, and Sandra could bring Blackie on a mission so he can get used to fighting."

"I guess we may as well," Sandra muttered. "What about Michael?"

"He's still too young but his time's coming up, too," Carlos pointed out.

"So, that's the plan? Then we better wake Blackie up and find a suitable mission for him." Lucar commented.

Sandra gently shook Blackie, who awoke with confusion. Joy and Michael ended up waking up, too. After explaining the situation to the Raichu, Carlos grabbed the Treasure Bag and prepared to head out the door. Suddenly, Joy stopped them.

"Wait! I have something for you, Blackie." Joy dug through a small chest of belongings she had retrieved from her home the day she had joined Team Legend. "Aha! Here we are!"

"Huh?" Blackie stepped forward. "What is it?"

Joy turned around and began wrapping a piece of fuzzy red fabric around his neck, a smile on her face. "It's a present for you, Blackie."

"A p-present?" the black Pikachu repeated. "For me?"

"Yes, you!" Joy nodded. "Awww! You look so cute!"

The Raichu pulled away, revealing the item to be a red scarf. It was wrapped around his neck with the ends dangling in front of his chest. Blackie touched it gently, staring at it in awe.

_A present… I don't think I've ever gotten one before,_ he thought. _At least, I don't think I have._ "Thank you," he said.

"I'm glad you like it so much, Blackie." Joy replied. "That used to be my son's before…"

"Before what?" Blackie asked.

"Oh, not now," Joy said, blushing in embarrassment. "Maybe I'll tell you later. Just know that this is a very special gift. Take care of it, Blackie."

"I will!" Blackie nodded. _This scarf is special to Joy. She's been nice to me since the day we first met in Beach Cave. I won't let anything happen to it!_

"Now then, run along and help Carlos with missions. You'll do great," Joy encouraged, smiling.

"Right," Blackie said. "Thanks again."

"Of course, Blackie," the Raichu smiled.

The black Pikachu joined Carlos and Lucar, waiting patiently for Sandra. The Eevee sighed, smiling nervously.

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up at the crossroads," she said.

"You sure?" Carlos asked.

"Yep! I'll be there!" Sandra promised. "I just need to figure something out first."

"Okay," Carlos said. "Let's go, guys!"

The trio headed out the door and down the hall, leaving Team Legend's room behind. Once she couldn't see her teammates any longer, the Eevee sighed. She turned and looked at Luv.

"Could I talk to you, Luv?" she asked.

"Sure," the Piplup nodded.

"Alone," Sandra added.

"Okay," Luv nodded again. "Where?"

The Eevee led Luv out of their room and into one of the empty rooms nearby. Turning to face her, Sandra tried to think of the best way to ask Luv about what she saw on the other's back during the fight with Gabite. Words refused to come to her, though.

_I'll just wing it and see where it lands me,_ she decided. "Luv, do you have something on your back?"

"Huh? What?" The Piplup yelped, flippers clapping against the blue cape on her back. "How did you…?"

"I saw something under your cape during our fight with Gabite. Luv, is something wrong?" Sandra asked. _Maybe this isn't a good idea after all._

"…I give up," Luv muttered, lowering her flippers. "Sandra, there's something I didn't tell you about my story. You know, about my family's death."

"What is it?" Sandra asked. "If you want to, you don't have to tell me. I won't pry."

"No, I have to get this off my chest." Luv said firmly. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her teammate. "After my family died, I tried hunting down the Feraligatr that ate my brother. I managed to find it and fought it, but I lost. It decided to mark me instead of kill me, though."

Turning, the Piplup pulled her cape to the side. A long pink scar cut across her back, the feathers refusing to grow on it. It looked at thought it was inflicted by a claw. Sandra gasped, just barely restraining the urge to reach out and touch it.

"That had to hurt," the Eevee whispered.

"It did," Luv nodded, tears springing up in her blue eyes. "The Feraligatr… He told me that he'd kill me next time we met. I was so scared. I didn't want to die, so I fled. After a while, I guess others figured out it was odd for a Piplup to know Earthquake and spread rumors about me."

"That's why Thrax wanted you," Sandra realized.

"Yeah," the Piplup nodded. "My life's just been one disaster after another. It's horrible!"

"Joining us wasn't a disaster," Sandra pointed out.

Luv smiled. "Yeah, you're right. It's probably the best thing that has happened to me since my family died. I'm glad I joined you guys. You're like a second family to me now."

"I'm glad we could help you," Sandra said. "You know, my sister went missing. Her and her teammates on Team Yami-Hikari. They've been gone a long time."

"Where do you think they are?" Luv asked.

"I don't know," the Eevee admitted. "But I'm not afraid. My sister's strong and so are her teammates. Wherever they are, I bet they're just fine. And when my sister returns, I'll prove that I can be just a good of an explorer as she is!"

"Wow!" Luv cried. "That's so cool! I just know you'll achieve that dream!"

"Not if what Horus says is true," Sandra muttered.

"Horus? Who's that?" Luv asked.

"He's the leader of Team Raptors, one of the best exploration Teams out there." Sandra explained. "Carlos and I met him at the Hot Springs. He told me that if I didn't conquer my fear of water, I'd never be a great explorer."

"You're scared of water?" Luv asked. "I could help with that!"

"I don't know," Sandra replied. "I just…don't like water. I nearly drowned in the river near my home when I was a cub. My sister saved me but I never got near the water after that. Going through mystery dungeons full of water is a nightmare but I've managed it. Carlos gives me courage."

"I bet you can be a great explorer, even if you're afraid of water." Luv declared.

"I hope so," Sandra sighed. "I'll keep your offer in mind, though. There may be an event in the future that will need me to go through water."

"Okay!" Luv nodded, smiling. "We better get back. Carlos, Lucar, and Blackie are probably wondering what's taking you so long."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sandra cried. "Thanks, Luv!"

"Just don't tell anyone! About my scar, I mean!" Luv pleaded. "I want to…tell them on my own."

"I won't tell," Sandra promised.

"Thanks," the Piplup said.

"No problem. See you later!" Sandra bounded out of the room, allowing Luv to head back to Team Legend's room.

_Treasure Town crossroads…_

Sandra skidded to a stop at the crossroads, panting for breath. "Sorry that I'm late, guys!" she apologized. "I had to ask Luv about something and I lost time."

"That's okay," Carlos said, smiling. "We picked out three missions for us to do. We have to arrest a Wingull on the second floor, deliver an Oran Berry to a Starly on the third floor, and escort a Riolu to the fourth floor."

"Sounds pretty easy," Blackie commented.

"You'd be surprised how seemingly-easy tasks can become difficult challenges if you're not careful." Lucar warned. "So, are we ready to go?"

"Yep! Let's move, team!" Carlos cried, walking toward the beach.

When the four members of Team Legend reached the entrance of Beach Cave, they were met by a young Riolu with red ribbons tied around her ear-like aura sensors. "Hi! You came!" she cheered, skipping over. "My name's Lola! Let's have fun with this, okay?"

"Okay, but you better stay close." Carlos suggested.

"Okay!" the young Riolu nodded, smiling.

With a nod from Carlos, the five Pokemon entered the mystery dungeon together. On the first floor, Carlos picked up 43 poke right away before moving aside, allowing Lucar to hit an oncoming Kabuto with Force Palm. It was out right away. Going through a few corridors and an empty room, they encountered a Corsola. Before Sandra could strike, Carlos stopped her.

"Blackie, you try," Carlos said.

"Huh? Me?" the black Pikachu squeaked.

"Just hit it once, Blackie. You'll be fine." Carlos promised.

"O-okay," Blackie nodded, swallowing back his fear as he aimed a weak Thundershock at the Corsola. It collapsed. "I did it. I did it, Carlos!"

"Not exactly," Lucar cut in as the Water/Rock-type got up again. "One more time, Blackie,"

"Okay," Blackie nodded, firing another Thundershock at the Corsola. It passed out, defeated. "There! Did I do it?"

"Yep!" Sandra nodded. "You won, Blackie."

"Yay!" the black Pikachu cried.

Continuing on through the floor, the group soon found themselves caught between a Shellos and a Shellder. Sandra knocked the Shellos out with Shadow Ball, leaving the Shellder to be electrocuted by Carlos' Thunderbolt. Reaching the next room, they headed down the stairs to the next floor.

On the second floor, they came face-to-face with the criminal Wingull. Carlos nodded to Blackie, who understood and prepared to attack. As one, the two Pikachu unleashed their electricity upon the criminal. Wingull screamed in agony, flapping his wings in a desperate attempt to rip away. Lucar ended the fight with Force Palm, knocking it out.

"Mission 1 complete!" Carlos cried, pointing their badge at Wingull. The Water/Flying-type vanished, being teleported back to the Guild.

Wandering the floor in search of the stairs, Blackie managed to defeat a Shellder all on his own with Thundershock and Grass Knot, which he was shocked to discover that he knew. In another hallway, Lucar and Lola teamed up to defeat a Corsola. Entering the next room, Carlos defeated a Kabuto and picked up an Oran Berry before descending deeper into the mystery dungeon.

On the third floor, Carlos picked up a Blast Seed and kept his eyes peeled for the wayward Starly. Sandra quickly located him, allowing Team Legend to deliver the Oran Berry he wanted. The Flying-type had been very grateful.

"Thank you so much!" the Starly cried.

"You're welcome. Mission 2 complete!" Carlos held out his badge, teleporting the Starly back to Wigglytuff's Guild. "Now we just need to get Lola to the next floor and we're finished for the day."

Continuing onward, they ran into a Corsola and a Kabuto in the halls. The two Water/Rock-types were easily defeated by Carlos and Blackie's teamwork. Blackie was getting better at control Grass Knot and was beginning to remember how to use Dig. Entering the room with the stairs in it, Sandra tossed a Shadow Ball at an advancing Kabuto and followed the others down the stairs.

On the fourth floor, Lola smiled and faced her escorts. "Thank you so much, guys! I wish my big sister had been here!" she giggled. "I'll see you back at the Guild in a bit, right?"

"Right," Carlos nodded, holding out his badge. "Mission 3 complete!" The Riolu vanished in a flash of light. "I guess we're all done, guys. Let's head ho—"

"Wait!" Lucar interrupted. "Listen!"

The group fell silent, listening. Then they heard it. There was the sound of wings flapping quickly, along with a loud buzzing noise. A pair of voices reached them, obviously arguing. A pair of Pokemon were fighting in the next room.

"Shouldn't we leave?" Blackie asked, suddenly scared.

"Not yet," Carlos replied. "Let's check it out, but stick together and stay quiet."

"Right," Sandra nodded.

The four Pokemon snuck through the hall and into the next room, sticking close to the walls. Upon seeing who was fighting, Carlos nearly gasped in surprise. The arguing Pokemon, who were now engaging in battle, were a Venomoth and a Yanmega. An all-too-familiar Yanmega…

"It's mine, you overgrown dragonfly! Find your own treasure to steal!" the Venomoth yelled.

"I'm too lazy at the moment," the Yanmega replied. "So I'll just be taking yours!"

"Not a chance! Silver Wind!" the Venomoth cried.

The Yanmega dodged it, racing forward with a burst of speed and hitting the moth-like Pokemon with Night Slash. The Venomoth gasped, coughing heavily as the wind was knocked out of him. The Yanmega smirked, reaching down to steal whatever treasure the Venomoth had stolen…only to be hit with Tackle and sent flying backward. He crashed into a wall and groaned, slumping to the ground.

"I'm really outta shape," the Yanmega coughed. "I guess jail really takes your edge off. Crud…"

"Hah!" The Venomoth snatched up his stolen treasure, smirking. "I win! You lose! And to think you were a great criminal once! What a laugh! I should just—AAAAH!"

Carlos didn't hesitate to electrocute the Venomoth, ending his chatter. The Yanmega dared to look up, only to laugh as the Venomoth collapsed, smoke rising from his burnt body.

"Hah! Vengeance did me justice!" he laughed.

"Buzz?" Carlos piped up.

"Eh? Hey!" The Yanmega succeeded in getting airborne and flew over to the group. "I never thought I'd be seeing you again! I still have to thank you for breaking me out of jail like that."

"No problem…?" Carlos replied awkwardly. _I forgot about that. Not only did I destroy the prison but I let almost all of their prisoners go, too._

"Carlos, do you know this guy?" Sandra asked.

_That aura,_ Lucar thought. _Could it be…?_ "Carlos, is this the same Yanmega we defeated before?"

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "Guys, meet Buzz. He helped me escape from prison when Jealousy framed me."

"You let him go?" Sandra cried.

"Not just me," Buzz chuckled. "He let out almost all of the prisoners. Officer Pyro's already working on rounding us all up again, though."

"Look, Buzz, we don't want to fight." Carlos said.

"I'm not looking for a fight. I just wanted something to do." Buzz replied. "I'm off to find somewhere else to go. Maybe we'll meet again one day, rookie."

"Carlos," the Pikachu corrected.

"Okay then, Carlos." Buzz nodded. "You can deal with that guy. All these rookie criminals think they're hotshots. Peh! They know nothing about our line of work!"

"Sorry to interrupt your rant but do you know where Dusk might be?" Carlos asked hesitantly.

"You let Dusk out too?" Sandra cried. "Carlos, he kidnapped me and tried to kidnap you!"

"I know but I had to!" Carlos argued. "It's in the past, anyway. I'm sorry, Sandra."

"…It's okay," the Eevee replied. "At least you're safe. That's all that matters to me."

"Thanks," the Pikachu smiled.

"Dusk? The Banette?" Buzz asked. "Nope! I haven't seen him around. Sorry."

"That's okay," Carlos said. "Thanks, anyway."

"I'm out of here. See you later, roo—I mean, Carlos!" With a burst of speed, Buzz shot down the nearest corridor and out of sight.

The group was silent until Carlos sighed, pointing his badge at the unconscious Venomoth. "Mission 4 complete," he said, watching as the Poison/Bug-type was teleported away.

"We better get back to the Guild," Lucar suggested.

"Can we not mention Buzz to Sheriff Magnezone?" Carlos asked.

"Sure," Sandra nodded. "He helped you escape prison. We may as well leave him alone now. He didn't hurt us, after all."

"Thanks," Carlos said, smiling. "Let's go home, guys."

"Yeah," Blackie nodded, clutching one end of his new scarf.

Holding up his badge, Carlos teleported them all back to the Guild. Their clients waited for them, giving them their rewards for helping them. The Starly gave them a Reviver Seed, Lola gave them 150 poke, and Sheriff Magnezone gave them a Reviver seed for Wingull's arrest. Sheriff Magnezone was surprised to see they had captured Venomoth, too, and gave them quite a rare item for the extra trouble.

"BZZZT! I HOPE THIS WILL SUFFICE! DESPITE BEING A ROOKIE CRIMINAL, VENOMOTH WAS QUITE ELUSIVE! WE THANK YOU GREATLY FOR CAPTURING HIM! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said.

Carlos picked up the strange item Sheriff Magnezone had rewarded them with. It was shaped like a mask with wing-like decorations on the sides. It was gold in color and was very beautiful. The Pikachu had never seen such a thing before.

"What is it?" Carlos asked.

"BZZZT! THAT WOULD BE A GOLDEN MASK! IT INCREASES THE CHANCES OF RECRUITING ENEMY POKEMON INTO YOUR EXPLORATION TEAM! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone explained.

"You're kidding!" Sandra cried. "Aren't these really rare?"

"BZZZT! INDEED! USE IT WELL, TEAM LEGEND! THANKS AGAIN! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone and his Magnemite officers left, taking Wingull and Venomoth with them.

"Is this really that rare?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah! We better keep it safe." Lucar commented. "Some Pokemon will stop at nothing to get their hands on one of these. We're lucky to get one from the sheriff."

Sandra yawned. "Let's get dinner and go to sleep. I'm tired."

"Right," Carlos nodded, slipping the Golden Mask into his Treasure Bag. _I better keep this thing really safe. I wouldn't want to lose something this rare._

Once he was certain it was secure in the Treasure Bag, Carlos led his three teammates downstairs to reunite with the other members of Team Legend before dinner. He never noticed Sunburst watching him from her temporary room, a small smile on her face.

_He is indeed the one,_ she decided, retreating to her room for the night.


	37. Chapter 36: Recovery and Preparation

Chapter 36: Recovery and Preparation

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"What did I tell you yesterday?" Chatot yelled.

"SORRY!" Loudred shouted, stomping down the hall.

"Ugh…" Carlos sat up, yawning. "Morning, guys."

"Already?" Sandra whined.

"Indeed," Lucar replied, sitting up and stretching. "How do your injuries feel, Carlos?"

"Much better," the Pikachu said, undoing the bandages tied around his chest. "There's only a dull ache left now. If Princess Sunburst wanted to, we could probably leave tomorrow."

"Should we tell her?" Sandra asked.

"We may as well," Carlos replied, standing up. "Let's go see what's on the Job Bulletin and Outlaw Notice Boards first. We have 195 Exploration Points right now. Let's see how many more we can get before we leave!"

"We're almost halfway to Silver Rank!" Sandra commented.

_/Yeah, we take a while to rank up. Doesn't everyone? Plus, at least half of our crazy adventures don't even reward us with Exploration Points. Sometimes I wonder why the world enjoys getting a kick out of our disappointment./_

"What about us?" Luv asked, sitting up.

"I think we'll go on this mission ourselves this time. You guys look after Michael, okay?" Carlos suggested.

"Okay," the Piplup tiredly nodded.

Carlos led Lucar and Sandra out of their room and down the hall. Climbing up the ladder, they inspected the boards until Carlos decided on a few to take. There were five missions to Mt. Bristle and the Pikachu grabbed them, leading them out of the Guild and down to the crossroads.

"So, what are we doing?" Lucar asked, unable to read the mission papers due to his blindness.

"We're going to Mt. Bristle to complete five missions, Lucar." Carlos explained. "We need to rescue a Charizard on the fifth floor, take an item from a Geodude on the sixth floor, arrest a Shellder on the seventh floor, and take an item from a Paras on the ninth floor. We also have to locate a lost Starly but nobody knows what floor she's on."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go help those Pokemon!" Sandra cried.

"You're sure eager today," Lucar commented.

"Today might be our last day to do what we want until we return Princess Sunburst to her kingdom," the Eevee pointed out. "We won't be able to help anyone until we get back."

"Right," Carlos nodded.

_/Boy, was I dead wrong or what? We wouldn't just be helping anybody. We would be dragged into a battle that could very well destroy an entire kingdom! If anything, returning the princess to her kingdom would be harder than we ever thought possible./_

Heading into Treasure Town, Carlos quickly stored any unneeded items in Kangaskhan Storage, including the Golden Mask that Sheriff Magnezone had given them the previous day. After dumping their money into Duskull Bank and returning to the crossroads, the trio headed down the path that would lead them to Mt. Bristle. Reaching the mountain, they went through the entrance and arrived inside of the mystery dungeon.

On the first floor, Team Legend quickly made their way to the staircase across the room. They succeeded in getting up the stairs before any enemy Pokemon found them.

On the second floor, Carlos picked up 5 Geo Pebbles and headed down a nearby hall, encountering a Spinarak and a Geodude. Carlos' Thunderbolt easily knocked the Bug-type out, leaving Lucar to take the Geodude down with Force Palm. Reaching the next room, the Pikachu grabbed 4 Sticks and walked through another hallway. He dashed up the stairs the moment he spotted them.

On the third floor, Carlos picked up an Escape Orb and a Cheri Berry before heading down a corridor. After fighting off a Geodude, Sandra spotted the lost Starly and dashed toward it. Lucar knocked out an advancing Geodude along the way, keeping his guard up.

"We've come to rescue you," Carlos said.

"Really? Thank you so much!" the Starly cried.

"Mission 1 complete!" Carlos declared, pointing his badge at the Starly. It was teleported back to the Guild. "Let's keep going, guys!"

Sandra picked up some money in the next room, only to be shocked at how much she had found. "You're kidding me!"

"What's wrong?" Lucar asked.

"This is only 2 poke!" the Eevee cried.

"2 poke? You're kidding!" Carlos cried.

"That's quite funny, actually." Lucar chuckled.

"Stupid mystery dungeon," Sandra grumbled. "It's ripping us off this time!"

The blind Riolu sighed. _This will be quite memorable,_ he thought.

_/…I still think Mt. Bristle ripped us off. That's the least amount of poke I ever found in a mystery dungeon before. Seriously, it's true! Go ahead and laugh. It's pretty funny now, unlike it was then./_

Heading through another corridor, Team Legend arrived in the room with the stairs. They went up them, Sandra still grumbling the whole way.

On the fourth floor, the trio covered a lot of ground before being cornered by a Doduo and a Spinarak. Carlos electrocuted the two-headed bird while Sandra hit the Spinarak with Shadow Ball, defeating both Pokemon easily. Heading to the next room, Carlos picked up 37 poke and left Lucar to deal with an attacking Nidorino. They went up the stairs across the room immediately.

On the fifth floor, Carlos picked up a Big Apple and ran through some empty halls, grabbing 5 Geo Pebbles along the way. They managed to locate the lost Charizard but had to defeat a Spinarak and a Geodude first. The wild Pokemon were easily taken down, allowing the Exploration Team to get to the Charizard.

"We've come to get you out of here," Carlos explained.

"Man, am I glad to hear that!" the Fire-type sighed. "Get me out of here, will you?"

"Gladly," the Pikachu replied, holding out his badge. "Mission 2 complete!" In a flash of light, Charizard was gone.

Team Legend headed down another hall, grabbing an All-Hit Orb in the next room. The stairs were next to the orb, allowing them to get to the next floor quickly.

On the sixth floor, the group faced off against the criminal Geodude. A combination of Shadow Ball and force palm easily brought it down, forcing it to drop the Gray Gummi that it had stolen from Nidorina. Carlos electrocuted a Starly that tried to ambush them, collecting 67 poke while he was at it. Dashing through a few empty corridors and rooms, they were jumped by a Nidorina that succeeded in poisoning Lucar. Sandra took it down quickly, giving Carlos time to find a Pecha Berry in the Treasure Bag to cure Lucar with. After dashing through a few more hallways and fighting many wild Pokemon, they finally found the stairs. Grabbing an Oran Berry and an Apple, they ran up the stairs just in time to avoid a Nidorino.

On the seventh floor, the trio came face-to-face with the criminal Shellder. Carlos' Thunderbolt did most of the damage, but Lucar and Sandra also struck whenever they saw openings. It wasn't long before the Water-type fainted.

"Mission 4 complete!" Carlos cried, watching as a flash of light teleported the criminal back to the Guild. "Only one more mission left to do."

Picking up 3 Sticks in the room, they headed down a hall and defeated a Nidorino. Carlos quickly collected the 72 poke it dropped, along with an Oran Berry in the next room. After a bit more exploring, they located the stairs and ran toward them. A Starly cut them off, though. Carlos electrocuted it, allowing them free passage to the next floor.

On the eighth floor, they had to fight a pair of Spinarak right away. After defeating the two wild Pokemon, Team Legend raced through a few corridors and encountered another Spinarak. After it fainted, Carlos grabbed 73 poke in the next room and entered the room with the stairs in it. Lucar dealt with the Nidorino guarding the stairs, knocking it out and grabbing the White Gummi it dropped. Carlos quickly picked up a Max Elixir before going upstairs.

On the ninth floor, they faced off against the criminal Paras. Lucar's Force Palm did plenty of damage, along with Sandra and Carlos' Quick Attacks. The Bug-type had managed to paralyze Sandra with Stun Spore, only to be taken out directly afterward by Carlos' Quick Attack. It dropped the Special Band it had stolen, fainting.

Lucar panted for breath. "I'm exhausted! Let's head back already, Carlos."

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

"Right! Mission 5 complete!" Carlos cried, holding up the badge.

The trio and the criminal Paras were engulfed in white light and thrown through the time-space tunnel, landing back in the Guild. Sheriff Magnezone instantly took custody of Paras, Geodude and Shellder already having been sent to the Police Station. After picking themselves up from the pile they always seem to end up in after returning from missions, Team Legend stood by as they received their rewards.

Nidorino and his rescued friend, Starly, gave them a Max Elixir and 10 Gravelerocks. Charizard gave them a Reviver Seed. Nidorina accepted the Gray Gummi that had been stolen from her, giving Team Legend a Max Elixir, a Pink Gummi, and a Black Gummi in exchange. Sheriff Magnezone gave them a Vile Seed, a Yellow Gummi, and a Blue Gummi. Dratini accepted the Special Band that had been stolen from him and gave Team Legend a Heal Seed as a reward.

Chatot hopped over, smiling. "My, my! You're getting good at this, Team Legend!" he commented. "So far, you're up to 325 Exploration Points! Only 75 more points until you reach Silver Rank!"

"Yes!" Sandra cried.

"So, how are your injuries, Carlos?" Chatot asked.

"Much better," the Pikachu replied. "I think we could probably take Princess Sunburst home tomorrow if she wants."

"Good to hear you're doing fine," Chatot nodded. "I'll tell the princess right awa—"

"I'm glad to hear that," a voice said.

"Princess!" Chatot yelped, whirling around to see the Quilava exit her room.

"I look forward to returning home. My parents must be worried." Princess Sunburst continued. "My kingdom will be very happy to see me return. We should get an early start tomorrow so I may get home all the sooner."

"Right!" Carlos nodded.

"Will it just be us or will the others come, too?" Sandra wondered, looking at Carlos.

"Joy has to take care of Michael and Blackie. They won't be able to go with us. Luv and Zuzu should stay behind to keep up our rescue work while we're gone." Carlos said.

"So, it'll be just the three of us and the princess." Lucar summarized.

"Isn't the group a bit…too big?" Princess Sunburst asked hesitantly.

"Nope! Four's the perfect amount!" Carlos replied. "Why?"

"No reason," the Quilava said quickly. _I'll have to put up with the other two for the moment,_ she decided.

_Something's wrong here,_ Lucar thought. _Her aura shows frustration and…anger? Is she angry because Sandra and I are coming along? She hides it well. I wouldn't have guessed it if I couldn't sense her aura. Weird…_

"I will be ready and waiting in the morning…" Princess Sunburst trailed off, a bit lost. "Um…"

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked.

_What did the Chatot call him? Carl? Carlisle? Carlo? …Carlos?_ Princess Sunburst struggled to remember what she heard the Flying-type call Carlos. "Your name is…Carlos, correct?"

"Yep!" the Pikachu nodded, smiling.

Princess Sunburst blushed. _Could this be…? Yes, it must be._

"We better get going and gather what we need, Carlos." Lucar finally said. _This aura… It's the same as the one Sandra has whenever Carlos is around. Could the princess like Carlos, too?_

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "See you tomorrow, princess."

"Sunburst," Princess Sunburst suddenly said.

"Huh?" Carlos looked back at her.

"Just…call me Sunburst. I'm not in the kingdom, so calling me 'Princess' is not required." Princess Sunburst explained.

"…Okay," Carlos nodded. "See you tomorrow, Sunburst."

Sunburst blushed again before retreating to her room.

Lucar sighed. _It looks like Sandra's got competition now,_ he decided. _Even if she doesn't realize it yet._

"Let's go, guys!" Carlos cried. "We've got packing and planning to do!"

The three members of Team Legend returned to their room. After explaining everything to their teammates, they were prepared for what they would say.

"Not fair! I wanted to go!" Luv complained.

"I guess somebody has to man down the fort." Zuzu muttered.

"It's a shame, but I'm happy. Bring back a souvenir, okay?" Joy requested.

"I wanna go to the kindum!" Michael whined.

"_Kingdom_, Michael," Joy corrected. "It's _kingdom_. King-dum,"

"King…dum! I wanna go to the kingdom, too!" the Minun repeated.

"I don't mind either way," Blackie admitted. "I'll stay with Joy and Michael, though. Good luck, Carlos, Sandra, Lucar."

"Thanks, guys," Carlos said. "Sandra, can you find our Wonder Map? I'd like to get a better idea of where we're going. I know it's a desert but still…"

The Eevee nodded, pulling the Wonder Map out of their Treasure Bag. Opening it up, Joy pointed the location out over Sandra's shoulder. Everyone huddled around the map, reading the information listed on the side of the map about the area.

"Since it's a desert, Ground and Rock-type Pokemon are guaranteed to be there." Lucar commented immediately. "I don't need to see the information to know that much."

"There are Steel-types there, too." Sandra added. "Carlos and I won't be good against them, so you'll have to deal with those, Lucar."

"It says there are Grass-types there, too." Carlos commented. "Carnivine and Cacturne, like the one back at the prison that beat up Buzz."

"Cacturne make good jail guards due to their sharp spikes and harsh attitude." Joy said. "It's no surprise that a big prison like that would have a couple of them around."

"I can deal with the Rock-types, too." Lucar pointed out. "Carlos will have to avoid the Ground-types, since his Electric-type attacks don't work on them. Sandra and I could deal with them ourselves."

"That means I can only take care of the Grass-types, since my attacks are the best shot we have against them." Carlos realized. "That's means I'm practically useless this time."

"How do you think Sandra and I felt in Mt. Bristle?" Lucar asked. "We both had our worst disadvantages, Flying and Fighting-types, practically swarming that place. Regardless, we still prevailed. We can do the same here."

"Besides, you can guard the princess while we fight!" Sandra added.

"I guess that's a good thing," the Pikachu nodded. "We don't want her getting attacked or wandering off from us in the middle of a battle."

"Right," Sandra nodded. "You can do it, Carlos. I know you can!"

"Thanks, Sandra. You're a great friend." Carlos said.

"Th-thank you!" Sandra replied, blushing.

"So, what items should we bring with us?" Lucar asked.

"Let's check what we have!" Carlos suggested.

Team Legend dug through their Treasure Bag, pulling out every item they had acquired over the course of their adventures. Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra then headed to Treasure Town to check out the items they had in Kangaskhan Storage, too. Lucar made a list of all the items they had as Sandra named them off. Once that was all done, they picked out useful items and packed up everything they might need for a trip through the Northern Desert.

"There!" Carlos cried, exhausted. "That should be everything!"

"Yeah," Sandra agreed. "I didn't know we had so many items."

"That was to be expected, Sandra." Lucar commented. "We've been to a lot of places and on a ton of missions. It was inevitable that we would acquire such a large stock of items after so much traveling."

"I guess," the Eevee muttered, sighing.

"Tomorrow, we're off to the Northern Desert Kingdom. Who'd have thought that we'd end up bringing a princess back to her home?" Carlos chuckled.

"She seemed…upset that Sandra and I were coming with." Lucar finally said.

"Huh?" The Pikachu looked at him in confusion.

"Her aura," Lucar continued. "It was so cheerful and happy when you said she could be returned home tomorrow. When you mentioned bringing Sandra and me, it became upset and frustrated. I think Princess Sunburst only wanted _you_ to escort her home, Carlos."

"That's just silly, Lucar! We wouldn't make it even a third of the way through that dungeon if it were just me and the princess." Carlos pointed out. "Of course I'd bring you and Sandra with me! We're a _team_!"

_Not in the princess' eyes,_ Lucar mentally argued. _She only sees Sandra and me as commoners. You, on the other hand, Carlos… She views you as something much more. Maybe it was because of Volt Tackle…?_

"Does that mean she hates us?" Sandra wondered.

"I don't think she hates us, Sandra. She just sees us as different from Carlos, that's all." Lucar reassured.

"I still think it's not fair that you guys get to go and we have to stay home." Luv complained. "We're part of the team, too!"

"I know, Luv, but somebody has to keep up with the jobs." Carlos said, patting the Piplup's head. "Look, I'll bring you back a great souvenir. I promise. Okay?"

"…Okay," Luv nodded. "I guess it can't be helped. Just don't mess up, okay?"

"Okay," Carlos nodded.

_/Too bad fate had other plans for the teammates we'd be leaving behind. Those missions would have to wait for later. I almost wish I had already been an Espeon by then. Maybe I could've predicted the coming disaster and stopped it. But I wasn't, so there's nothing I could do but sit back and take whatever fate throws at me./_

Joy yawned, rubbing her eyes. "How about we get some sleep? It's been a long day."

Michael was already leaning against Blackie, fast asleep with a dribble of drool running down his chin. Joy gently picked the baby Minun up, resting him on her bed before curling up beside him. Blackie climbed into his bed beside the Raichu, still clutching one edge of his scarf. They fell asleep easily.

Zuzu hung upside down from the room's ceiling, as her kind commonly did. Luv curled up in the bed underneath her, brushing away the long ends of the shiny Zubat's red ribbon so they wouldn't make her sneeze at night by tickling her beak. In moments, the pair was fast asleep.

Sandra and Lucar quickly joined their teammates in sleep, exhausted from their long day. Carlos couldn't sleep, though. What Lucar had told him bothered him.

_Why would Princess Sunburst only want me to take her home?_ the Pikachu wondered. _We wouldn't stand a chance in the Northern Desert that way! Would she really be willing to risk not making it home by doing that? Weird…_

His head aching, Carlos collapsed on his bed and fell asleep. If he had stayed awake a moment longer, he would've noticed an all-too-familiar Pokemon peering inside. The Pokemon floated away from the window, landing on top of one of the totem poles in front of Wigglytuff's Guild. It was Dusk the Banette.

"The Northern Desert Kingdom," he muttered, fingering the needle he used for his Curse technique. "How ironic…"

_Murderer…_

Dusk squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the soft voice at the back of his mind.

_Murderer… Murderer…_

"It was an accident," Dusk murmured. "I had just evolved. I didn't mean to… It was self-defense!"

_Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!_

A memory flashed through the Banette's mind. He was in the Northern Desert, facing a pair of snarling Manectric. A young Electrike lay behind them, bleeding from a wound in his chest. He would be dead soon.

"You monster! How could you?" the female Manectric demanded, tearing running down her cheeks. "My baby! My poor, sweet, innocent baby!"

"I…I…" Dusk couldn't speak, just staring at the needle grasped in his hand as if it wasn't his. "I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't—"

"Enough! You have taken the life of my beloved son!" the male Manectric barked, enraged. "For that, you shall pay!"

"Wait! I—AAAAAH!" Pain racked Dusk's body as he was hit with a powerful blast of electricity. He screamed the loudest he ever had in his life.

"You will never walk this world an innocent Pokemon, Dusk! I will ensure you suffer as my son has suffered!" the male Manectric declared. "Flee! Flee from here and never return, scum! Wherever you go, bad luck and death will follow!"

"NOOOOO!"

The old memory shattered into a billion little pieces. Dusk clutched his head, hunching over as he attempted to stop himself from crying. His needle fell toward the ground, forgotten for the moment.

"Get a…hold of yourself!" Dusk hissed, gasping for breath. "That was long ago! He was wrong! No bad luck or death has followed me! He lied!"

_Wrong! You are wrong! Much bad luck has followed you!_

Dusk gave up shutting out the voice that seemed so insistent on proving him wrong. "There's only one way to end this," he decided. "I have to go back and fix this. It's the only way I can ever forget what happened back then."

Standing up, Dusk hopped off of the totem pole and picked up his fallen needle. Turning, he took to the air and flew away from Treasure Town…out toward the Northern Desert.


	38. Chapter 37: Lies and Heartbreak

Chapter 37: Lies and Heartbreak

"TIME TO WAKE UP, ROOKIES!" Loudred bellowed.

"I told you to… You know what? Forget it." Chatot just walked away, allowing Loudred to continue his job of waking up the other Guild members.

"Ugh… Morning," Carlos groaned, sitting up.

"Morning, Carlos," Sandra greeted, yawning sleepily. "We have to go to the Northern Desert today to bring Princess Sunburst home."

"I know," the Pikachu said, yawning. "Wake up Lucar and w—"

"I'm already up," Lucar stated, sitting up. "We're already fully packed. All that's left is to fetch the princess and go."

"Not without saying goodbye to everyone first," Carlos reminded.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

Waking up their teammates, the trio said their goodbyes. Joy and Blackie wished them good luck, Luv told them to stay safe, Zuzu reminded them to bring back souvenirs, and Michael hugged them before retreating into the warm comfort of Joy's arms. Sandra and Lucar left first, leaving Carlos behind to say a final goodbye.

"We'll be back soon, okay? You guys keep up with our duties." Carlos said. "Good luck,"

"The same to you, Carlos," Joy nodded before hugging him one last time. "Stay safe, all of you."

"We will," Carlos promised. "When I get back, I'll keep searching for leads. We'll find David, Joy. I promise."

The Raichu nodded before backing off, picking up Michael. Blackie blinked in confusion before waving goodbye to the other Pikachu. Luv and Zuzu hugged him, wishing him good luck once more before he departed from Team Legend's room.

Carlos ended up in the main room on the second floor, his two teammates waiting for him. Together, the trio climbed the ladder to their first floor. Chatot and Sunburst were waiting for them. The Quilava princess joined them, flashing a gentle smile at Carlos.

"You three know what needs to be done now. Good luck." Chatot said. "Be careful, all of you. The Northern Desert is a terrible place to go through but I'm certain you'll succeed. Protect the princess at all costs, understood?"

"Understood!" Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar chorused.

"Good! Now then, off with you!" Chatot hopped back down the ladder, leaving Team Legend and Princess Sunburst alone.

"Princess Sunburst, are you ready to go home?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," Sunburst nodded. _There must be a way to convince Carlos that those other two are not needed to escort me home,_ she thought.

"Then let's go!" Sandra cried.

The four Pokemon left Wigglytuff's Guild, heading down the stairway and arriving at Treasure Town's crossroads. Just as they were heading down the path, Lucar stopped.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"There are two Pokemon coming our way," Lucar said. "Their auras seem…worried. I think it's Marill and Azurill."

Before Carlos could comment, Marill and Azurill came bounding down the path. They were searching in every nook and crevice they could spot, looking panicked. Before they could race past them, Carlos held out his arms to stop them. The brothers looked up at Carlos in confusion.

"Hi, Carlos!" Azurill greeted. "What are you doing?"

"We're just about to go on a mission." Sandra replied. "What's wrong with you two? Have you lost something?"

"Is it that same item as before?" Lucar asked, remembering the incident with Drowzee.

"Well, yes, but not exactly." Marill explained. "You see, we're still looking for that but we're looking for someone this time."

"Who?" Carlos asked.

"Snowflake the Glaceon," Marill replied. "She was helping us look for our item, but she disappeared yesterday and hasn't come back yet. We're looking for her."

"Maybe she went off to explore," Sandra commented. "Remember that mission we went on before the expedition? She was exploring Mt. Bristle."

"You're right," Carlos nodded. "Maybe she's searching for your item in a mystery dungeon. She'll be back soon, I'm sure of it."

"Really? Cool!" Azurill cried.

"She's so brave to go through a mystery dungeon all by herself!" Marill said.

"Brave but foolish," Lucar argued. "You're in greater danger of attack if you're alone. You're better off having companions in a mystery dungeon."

"I'm sure she's fine," Carlos said. "Luv and Zuzu will be doing our duties for us while we'll be gone. If Luv sees a rescue mission posted by her, Luv will help her."

"Yeah," Sandra agreed.

"Where are you going?" Marill asked.

"To the Northern De—" Lucar started.

"Ahem! Shouldn't we go now?" Sunburst interrupted. "We might already be halfway there by now if you hadn't stopped to chat."

"Sunburst is right. We better go." Carlos said. "Good luck finding your item, Marill, Azurill. If you still haven't found it by the time we get back, I'll see if I can help."

"Okay! Thanks, Carlos!" Azurill cried.

"Good luck on your mission!" Marill added.

"See you later!" Carlos smiled.

Team Legend and Sunburst headed down the path, arriving near the entrance to the Northern Desert a short time later. They chose to take a break before continuing on, sitting down to eat and chat. Sunburst still felt annoyed at having to bring Sandra and Lucar along.

_There must be a way to drive them off,_ Sunburst thought. _They aren't nearly as strong as Carlos. How can he stand to have them around if they're so much weaker than him?_

"Hey, Sunburst!" Sandra suddenly said, interrupting the Quilava's thoughts. "You're the princess, right? Do you have any siblings?"

"Of course I'm the princess!" Sunburst replied. Then she grew suspicious. "Why do you suddenly want to know about my family?"

"Well, I thought we should all try to get along. Lucar said your aura seemed angry that he and I were going with Carlos to bring you home." Sandra said.

"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Sunburst asked innocently. "I just thought the amount of Pokemon taking me home was…a little large, that's all."

_There's that flare of anger again,_ Lucar thought.

"Oh," the Eevee said, ears lowering. "Well… All of three of us always go on missions together! That's never changed since we met!"

"And how did you meet?" Sunburst asked.

Before Sandra could reply, Carlos had packed everything up again and hoisted the Treasure Bag over his shoulder. "I think we're ready to go, guys. Let's move!" he cried.

Lucar and Sandra quickly followed him. Sunburst stayed behind for a moment before following. Catching up to Sandra, Sunburst decided to continue speaking to her. Lucar and Carlos stayed ahead, keeping an eye out for the entrance to the mystery dungeon. The temperature began to rise as they neared the desert.

"So, how did you meet again?" Sunburst asked, feigning curiosity.

"Well, we met at the beach a long time ago. At least, it seems like a long time ago." Sandra explained. "Anyway, these three bullies threw me into the ocean. I'm afraid of water, so I started to sink. I thought I was going to die. Carlos and Lucar saved me, though. After that, we made an Exploration Team. There have been a few disasters along the way but we've gotten through it all."

"Really?" Sunburst asked. "So, you two are just friends then?"

"Well, I guess…" Sandra muttered, blushing. "I mean… Of course we're friends but…"

"Good to hear!" Sunburst said, smiling. "Then I guess there are no worries if I take him."

"T-t-take him?" Sandra repeated, confused.

"Yes," Sunburst nodded, still smiling. "I love him."

"Huh?" Sandra blushed furiously. _Princess Sunburst loves Carlos? No way! It's barely been four days since they met!_ "Y-y-you're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. Why? Is there a problem?" Sunburst asked, a sharp edge added to her voice.

"Um…" Sandra looked away.

"I thought not," Sunburst said curtly. "It's best you just stay friends. Carlos wouldn't love a coward like you, anyway."

"Huh?" Sandra looked hurt. "You don't know tha—"

"Found it!" Carlos suddenly cried. "Sunburst! Sandra! The entrance is over here!"

Sunburst smiled, looking toward the Pikachu. "Coming!" she cried. She turned back to Sandra. "Face it. You're a coward. Even I can see that. You and Carlos will never be compatible. Just stay friends. That's all you'll ever be."

The Quilava bounded off toward Carlos and Lucar, leaving Sandra behind. The Eevee slowly followed, head down and ears dragging slightly in the warm sand that appeared under her paws. Reaching her companions, she put on a smile for Carlos before they entered the mystery dungeon.

Lucar stopped her. "What's wrong? Your aura is sad."

"Nothing," Sandra replied, walking past him. _Maybe she's right,_ she thought. _Carlos is brave and I…I'm not. I'm the biggest coward in Treasure Town and I bet everyone knows it. It's just a stupid crush, anyway._

Carlos looked over his shoulder, noticing how sad Sandra looked. He turned to Sunburst, who was walking by his side. "Did you say something to her?" he asked.

"Huh?" Sunburst looked baffled. "What do you mean by that?"

"You and Sandra were talking a bit ago. Did you say something that made her upset?" Carlos asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Sunburst lied. "She told me how you guys met. You must've been brave to dive into the ocean to save a complete stranger."

"Stranger or no, she needed help," Carlos replied. "If anybody needed help, I'd give it to them. With all the bad things happening around here, a helping hand can go a long way. Look what happened with me and Sandra. I might've never joined an Exploration Team if Sandra's sister hadn't convinced me to."

"That's sweet," Sunburst said. _That's one out of the way. Now to get rid of the Riolu. He's blind, so it shouldn't be too hard. After that, all I have to do is get home and convince Carlos to stay at the kingdom with me. It shouldn't be too hard._

_/Too bad for Sunburst. Making Carlos abandon his friends is a near-impossible task. I still feel horrible for believing her like that. It really hurt for a while before I realized that she was wrong about Carlos never loving me. Sunburst was just willing to take desperate measures to get him alone with her. Desperate measures that could've destroyed her kingdom altogether./_

In the sky high above the four Pokemon, a squadron of Skarmory soared across the Northern Desert. Their sharp eyes quickly picked out the group, identifying them and adding them to the list of Pokemon they had seen crossing the desert that day. Before the Skarmory flock moved on, the leader called them to attention.

"The Quilava down there! It must be the princess!" he cried.

Murmurs shot through the flock, shocked and confused.

"The princess?"

"She's alive!"

"Impossible! She's long gone!"

"What do we do?"

"Lord Kadar will be furious!"

"Silence!" the lead Skarmory screeched. "We will return to the kingdom and inform Lord Kadar of this! He will know what to do!"

The Skarmory Patrol nodded in unison before heading back toward the Northern Desert Kingdom. Urbana the Skarmory looked back down at the four tiny specks far below and sighed, relieved.

_All is not lost,_ she thought. _I must tell Mark and Teri. The princess is returning home!_

She flapped back toward the rest of the squadron, heart set on returning home and reporting her discovery. She prayed that Princess Sunburst returned home soon.

_Northern Desert, mystery dungeon entrance…_

"Here we are, guys," Carlos said, turning to face his friends and Sunburst. "Once we pass through here, we'll be at the Northern Desert Kingdom. Let's get through here quickly!"

"It's getting dark," Sandra commented.

"If we have to, we should find a resting place partway through the mystery dungeon." Lucar suggested. "Traveling at night is not a good idea."

"I'll keep that in mind. Let's try to clear it before it gets too dark, okay?" Carlos asked.

"Okay!" Lucar and Sandra agreed.

"Indeed," Sunburst nodded.

"Then let's go, guys!" Carlos cried, turning and entering the Northern Desert.

On the first floor, the group succeeded in passing through two rooms unscathed. The stairs were found immediately afterward, much to their relief. They climbed up it to the next floor.

On the second floor, Carlos picked up 101 poke and went through a long corridor before encountering a Sandshrew. It used Poison Sting but was quickly knocked out by Lucar's Force Palm. Grabbing 110 poke in the next room, they climbed up the stairs.

On the third floor, Carlos grabbed 80 poke and led the group in a complete circle due to the maze of halls. Grabbing 110 poke in one of the rooms they passed, Team Legend came across a new object…one Sunburst knew of all too well.

"What is this?" Sandra asked, reaching out a paw to touch the strange Apple covered in purple slime. "Eww! It's sticky!" She shook her paw as it stuck to her fur. "Help! Get it off!"

Lucar pulled it off, only to shake his paws viciously in an attempt to free himself now. The slime-covered Apple crashed against the far wall, taking a small chunk of blue fur with it. Lucar yelped, whimpering in pain.

"Sunburst, do you know what this is?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, I do. It's called Grimy Food," the Quilava princess replied. "It's the only food in this entire mystery dungeon. No Apples, no berries, no seeds. Just Grimy Food."

"You're supposed to _eat_ that?" Sandra cried. "Yuck!"

"You won't have to if you've brought enough food to get through this place." Sunburst said. "You can throw it at enemy Pokemon, too. If you're lucky, they'll eat it and leave you alone due to the…taste."

"Have you ever eaten one before?" Lucar asked. _She's hiding something about this Grimy Food. What, though?_

"No, but my older brother has." Sunburst explained. "He did it on a dare by my training mentor, Mark. It wasn't pleasant."

"I guess we should take it and test it out," Carlos muttered, reluctantly dropping the slime-covered Apple into the Treasure Bag.

Sunburst smiled. _Step one is done,_ she thought. _Now to find an opponent and move on to step two._

The next room held the stairs, which Team Legend climbed up quickly.

On the fourth floor, Carlos picked up another Grimy Food and 20 poke before leading the way through the nearest corridor. Grabbing 97 poke in the next room, they fought a Sandshrew and defeated it with ease due to Sandra and Lucar's Double Quick Attack. They climbed up the stairs on the other side of the room.

On the fifth floor, they found the stairs quickly and ran up them in order to avoid an approaching Trapinch.

On the sixth floor, they found the stairs in the same room as they appeared in. A terrible sandstorm tore through the whole floor, damaging all four of them immediately. Team Legend went up the stairs to the next floor.

On the seventh floor, they fought with a Cacnea right away. Lucar mainly fought it alone, Sandra tossing the occasional Shadow Ball to damage it farther. All was going well until it landed a critical hit on Lucar with Pin Missile. Falling to his knees, the blind Riolu fought to catch his breath.

"Carlos, I need an Oran Berry or something!" Lucar cried.

"Right, I—" Carlos started.

"No! Let me help!" Sunburst pleading, plunging one paw into the Treasure Bag before he could protest and pulling out the item she wanted. "Catch, Riolu!"

_She's still refusing to call me by my name,_ Lucar noted, catching the item she threw him. Sinking his teeth into what he recognized as an Apple, he never noticed the smug aura around Sunburst.

Feeling better, he got up and prepared to deliver a powerful Rock Slide to the Grass-type when pain shot through his chest. Gasping, Lucar crashed to his knees again. His whole body felt weak, almost as if he had been poisoned. But Cacnea hadn't poisoned him.

"Lucar!" Carlos cried.

"Quick Attack!" Sandra shot forward, crashing into Cacnea and knocking it out. "Lucar, are you—Oh no!"

Sunburst looked at her paws, covered in purple slime. She put on a look of shock. "Oh no! That wasn't an Apple! That was a…"

"Grimy Food," Lucar coughed, feeling the slime sticking to his paws and mouth. _But how? Wouldn't Sunburst recognize the feel of Grimy Food? Unless…she did this on purpose!_

"What's wrong with him?" Carlos demanded.

"I forgot to mention a terrible side-affect to Grimy Food," Sunburst admitted. "Eating it will sometimes afflict you with terrible conditions, like being poisoned or paralyzed. From the looks of it, Riolu is poisoned."

"We have to find the stairs, fast!" Sandra cried.

"Help me get him up! We'll carry him t—" Carlos started.

"Why not teleport him home with your badge?" Sunburst asked. "He's too ill to continue on. If he can't assist me in getting home, maybe it's best if he returns to your teammates back in Treasure Town."

"No," the Pikachu replied. "Teammates stick together. Besides, the poisoning will vanish once we climb the stairs. We just have to get there before he faints."

"…Okay," the Quilava nodded. _So close! Why won't Carlos just abandon these weaklings? He doesn't need them to get through here! His power should be strong enough!_

"Let's go," Carlos said, hauling one of Lucar's arms across his shoulders. "Sandra, deal with any enemies that get too close."

"Right!" the Eevee nodded, her gloomy behavior vanishing as she put on a smile.

_/Sunburst didn't understand that Carlos didn't just see us as teammates. The three of us were the best of friends. She could lie to us and hurt us as much as she wanted, but our friendship would still shine through. It still hurt, though./_

Continuing through the floor, Sandra defeated a Sandshrew with Shadow Ball and allowed them to carry on. In the next room, Carlos grabbed 110 poke and delivered a powerful Thunderbolt to an attacking Cacnea. Sandra's Quick Attack knocked it out directly afterward. Racing through a few more rooms, they fought a Cacnea and a Sandshrew at the same time. Lucar mustered up the strength to use Rock Slide on Cacnea, weakening it enough for Carlos to defeat it with Quick Attack. Sandra quickly dealt with Sandshrew, leaving their path open once again. Grabbing 62 poke that Sandshrew dropped, Sandra knocked out an advancing Cubone with Shadow Ball before it could get close enough to strike. Grabbing 42 poke in the next room, they climbed up the stairs nearby and escaped from the floor at long last.

Lucar sighed in relief as his body was cured of the poison. "How dark is it?" he asked.

"Pretty dark," Carlos replied. "We'll stop here for the night."

"Are you sure?" Sunburst asked, looking around nervously. "Wouldn't it be better if we continued?"

"Traveling at night, as I said before, is not the best idea." Lucar said. "Enemy Pokemon are far more vicious, not to mention jumpier, then. We need to rest up for tomorrow in order to get through the other seven floors of this place."

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

"I'll keep watch," Carlos volunteered.

"No! You should rest!" Sunburst argued.

"Why? I barely did anything today." Carlos pointed out. "Lucar and Sandra need rest."

"You need to save your strength for tomorrow!" Sunburst persisted. "What if something bad happens and you're too tired to stop it?"

"Well…" The Pikachu looked away. _What's with her all of a sudden? Why is she acting so…weird around me?_

"I'll keep watch," Sandra said at long last.

"Are you sure?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," Sandra nodded. "Lucar and you need rest. I'll keep watch."

"Okay," Carlos lay on the ground. "See you in the morning, Sandra."

"Night, Carlos. Night, Lucar." Sandra said. "Night, Sunburst."

"Good night, guys," Lucar said, curling up on the ground. He was asleep in minutes.

Carlos fell asleep not long afterward. Sandra sighed, looking up at the dark night sky above. Turning her attention back to her teammates, she blinked in shock as Sunburst curled up beside Carlos. Frowning, the Eevee looked away.

_I never stood a chance, anyway,_ she thought.

She didn't even bother trying to stop the tears from running down her cheeks.


	39. Chapter 38: Realizations

Chapter 38: Realizations

When the sun rose, Carlos woke his teammates and Sunburst. Checking through the Treasure Bag to ensure they had all of the items they might need for the rest of the journey, the Pikachu hauled it over his shoulder and stretched.

"So, is everyone ready to go?" he asked.

"I am," Lucar said.

"Yes," Sunburst nodded.

"Me, too," Sandra agreed, her voice soft.

"Is something wrong, Sandra?" Carlos asked, concerned.

"No! I'm fine!" the Eevee instantly denied. "Don't worry about me! Nothing's wrong! Honest!"

"…If you say so," Carlos muttered, frowning. He didn't believe her. _I'll ask her about it later,_ he decided.

"We should reach the Northern Desert Kingdom by the end of the day." Lucar commented.

"Good," Sunburst said. _Today is my last chance to get rid of these two weaklings,_ she thought, her eyes narrowed in hidden anger.

"Then let's get moving!" Carlos cried. "We've got a lot of ground to cover today. Let's move, team!"

On the eighth floor, Carlos picked up 90 poke right away and led the way through a large amount of empty rooms and corridors. They quickly found the stairs and ran up them.

On the ninth floor, Team Legend became ambushed by a Cacturne and two Sandshrew. Lucar succeeded in knocking out one of the Sandshrew with Force Palm, only to be thrown back by the Cacturne's Pin Missile. Carlos managed to paralyze Cacturne, allowing Sandra and Lucar to defeat the second Sandshrew. Unfortunately, the Pikachu never noticed Cacturne preparing its next attack.

"Look out, Carlos!" Sandra cried.

"Huh?" Carlos whirled around just as the Grass-type raised a spiky arm. "AAAH!"

Cacturne smirked, bringing its arm down on Carlos…only to screech in pain and pitch forward, crashing to the ground. Black smoke curled up from the burn on its back. Cacturne was out cold instantly, defeated.

"Huh?" Carlos looked at his savior in shock.

Sunburst smiled. "What? Are princesses not allowed to know how to fight?" she teased.

"_You_ did that?" Sandra yelped.

"Do you see any other Fire-type Pokemon around?" Sunburst asked, a sharp edge to her words.

"N-no," Sandra stuttered, scared.

"You don't have to be so mean," Lucar said firmly.

"I'm not," Sunburst instantly denied. "That was just a foolish statement on her part."

"Hey!" Carlos cried. "It's not her fault! I was just as shocked, too!"

"Sorry," the Quilava apologized, not looking at Sandra. "Shall we continue, Carlos?"

"I guess," Carlos nodded. "Don't be so harsh with Sandra."

"All right," Sunburst promised. _I won't be harsh. I'll just be unfair._

Continuing through the floor, Carlos grabbed 5 Sticks in the next room and led the way through a few more halls. They made it to the stairs without confronting any other enemy Pokemon.

On the tenth floor, a heavy sandstorm was brewing. Team Legend ended up in the same room as the stairs, but the path was blocked by a Sandshrew and a Cacturne. Carlos' Thunderbolt and Sandra's Shadow Ball knocked the Grass-type out, leaving Lucar to handle the Sandshrew solo. Once the two wild Pokemon were out of the way, they headed upstairs.

On the eleventh floor, they were confronted by a Sandshrew right away. Lucar and Sandra fought it while Carlos defended Sunburst from any stray attacks. Carlos accidentally led them into a dead end but he led them out again safely, but not without suffering damage from the sandstorm that raged on the floor.

"Ow!" Sandra yelped.

"These sandstorms are really rough," Lucar noted, struggling to keep moving forward.

"The sandstorms on the sixth, tenth, and this floor are the worst in all of the Northern Desert." Sunburst explained.

"That's nice to know!" Carlos cried. "At least we know this is the last one! Let's hurry up, guys!"

Passing through a long corridor, Carlos picked up 101 poke and a Slumber Orb before dashing up the stairs in the next room. They were free of the sandstorms at long last.

On the twelfth floor, they went through many empty rooms and corridors. Carlos grabbed 110 poke in one of the rooms just before they encountered their first Carnivine. The Grass-type's Vine Whip dealt a lot of damage to Sandra and Lucar, only ceasing its attacks when Carlos hit it with Quick Attack. The Pikachu easily dodged the swift vines, knocking it out with a well-aimed Thunderbolt. Grabbing 4 Iron thorns, they left the room and ended up walking into two more dead ends before being corned by wild Pokemon. This time, it was a Sandshrew and a Lairon.

"Leave Lairon to me," Lucar said. "Rock Slide!"

The Steel-type groaned as the heavy rocks landed on it, charging once it recovered from the shock of being hit by rocks. Sandra and Sunburst raced away from it, leaving Carlos to strike it with Thunderbolt. He failed to do much damage and was sent flying across the room, crashing into the far wall.

"Carlos!" Sunburst cried.

"No," Sandra whispered.

"Hey, over here!" Lucar yelled, trying to attract the Lairon's attention. "Come and get me, big guy!"

The Lairon took the bait, turning around and charging toward Lucar. Sandra and Sunburst dashed toward the fallen Pikachu, who was struggling to get up. Sandra reached out to help him, only to be shoved aside by the frantic Quilava. Sunburst pulled Carlos into her arms, hugging him.

"Carlos, are you okay? Please be okay, Carlos!" Sunburst pleaded, tears running down her face.

"I'm…fine!" Carlos coughed.

"I'm so glad. I don't know what I would do if you were hurt…or worse!" Sunburst whimpered.

Sandra just watched sadly, feeling jealous. _Why can't I do that? Why can't I help him without being afraid of getting hurt myself? Sunburst is so…fearless. Why can't I be like that? I'm just a coward. She and Carlos…_ The Eevee sniffled, looking away. _They really would make a better couple than Carlos and I would._

Carlos noticed how Sandra refused to look at him and gently pried himself out of Sunburst's grip. "Sandra, are you—"

"AAAAAAH!"

"Lucar!" Carlos shouted, whipping around in time to see the Riolu crash to the ground. "Lucar, I'm co—AAAH!" He clutched his side in pain.

"Carlos, no! You're too hurt!" Sunburst argued, grabbing his shoulder. "We have to run!"

"And leave Lucar? No way!" the Pikachu growled, pulling away and getting to his feet. "I have to help him."

"In your condition? You'll die!" Sunburst snapped. "We must run!"

"Carlos, Sunburst, Sandra! Move it!" Lucar yelled, pulling himself up on his hands and knees.

The Lairon charged at the trio, roaring in rage. Carlos shoved Sunburst aside and was about to grab Sandra when the Quilava dragged him with her, getting out of the Steel-type's range. Sandra attempted to flee, only to scream as its tail crashed into her. She landed not far from Lucar, tasting blood in her mouth.

"Sandra!" Carlos cried. "Sunburst, why did yo—"

"We have to leave!" Sunburst pleaded, tugging his arm. "Teleport them home and let's go! They're too hurt to help us!"

"Without them, I won't be able to get through this mystery dungeon!" Carlos argued. "I'm weak to almost everything here! I can barely take on the Grass-types on my own!"

"You're wrong! You can defeat anything, Carlos!" Sunburst said. "Let's go, just you and me! Please!"

"Not without Lucar and Sandra!" Carlos shouted.

"They're weak! They're nothing like you, Carlos! Just leave them!" Sunburst finally yelled.

"…What?" Carlos just looked at her in shock.

"I told you before, Carlos. I only need you to take me home." Sunburst said. "Riolu and Eevee are weak. I don't see why someone as strong as you would be teamed up with weaklings like them."

The Pikachu frowned. "You're acting like I was forced to be teamed up with them."

"I'm certain you were," Sunburst said. "Someone with your power would never stick around weaklings. 'Power attracts power', as my father once said. Those two are not powerful."

"I don't care if they're powerful or not," Pikachu said coldly.

"Huh?" The Quilava looked at him in confusion.

"I _chose_ to be on an Exploration Team with Lucar and Sandra," Carlos continued. "Nobody forced me to stay with them. I chose to."

"But…why?" Sunburst asked.

"They're my friends," Carlos replied. "They helped me get to where I am today. Without them, I'd be a lost Pikachu with no friends, no home, and no memories."

_No…memories?_ Sunburst thought. _What could that mean?_

"Sandra and Lucar are my friends, Sunburst." Carlos repeated. "And friends don't abandon each other! Now let go of me so I can help them! Without them, I'll never be able to get you home!"

_/It would still be a while before Sunburst would confess to both hurting my feelings and poisoning Lucar with Grimy Food. She would delay in that confession because she didn't want Carlos to hate her. You'll have to see if Carlos accepts her confession…or not./_

Sunburst, still in shock, slowly released the Pikachu. Carlos turned, dashing toward the Lairon. Sparks flew from his cheeks as he charged a powerful Thunderbolt. Lairon was pushed back by the electricity, static shooting across its metallic body. Lucar managed to gather up enough strength to hit it with Rock Slide, succeeding in knocking it out.

"Lucar, are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"I'm fine," the blind Riolu replied, struggling to his feet. "Sore, but fine. Sandra's not looking good, though."

The Pikachu dashed over to his friend, who simply lay on the ground. "Sandra!" he cried. "Sandra, are you okay? Can you get up?"

Blood ran down the side of the Eevee's face from a deep cut in her right ear. Realizing who was talking to her, Sandra slowly tried to get up. She ended up falling into Carlos' arms, her paws shaking too much to hold her up.

"Sandra," Carlos said softly. "Here, let me help."

"No, I'm fine," Sandra argued weakly, trying to pull away.

"No, you're not fine! You're hurt!" Carlos pointed out. "You're my friend, Sandra. Friends help each other."

Sandra didn't say anything, allowing Carlos to pull her to her feet. After a few seconds, she succeeded in standing up without falling over. Gingerly testing her walking, she found her ribs ached from where Lairon crashed into her but that it didn't prevent her from moving around. She shook her head, droplets of blood falling to the ground from her ear.

"Should we keep going or stop?" Carlos asked, looking at his teammates.

"Keep going," Sandra said.

"We're only three floors away," Lucar agreed. "If we go quickly enough, we should be able to get out of here by nightfall. We might have to stop before going to the Northern Desert Kingdom, though."

"Sunburst, is that okay with you?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," Sunburst nodded, not meeting the Pikachu's gaze. _Riolu and Eevee… Carlos chose them to be his teammates? They're his friends? He's willing to get hurt to protect them? Back home, Teri and I are friends. Teri's gotten hurt before and I've done nothing to stop it because I'm not supposed to. Was I…wrong?_

"Okay then," Carlos sighed. "Let's go, guys."

Carrying on through the floor, Carlos picked up a TM for Aerial Ace in the next room and led them through a few more halls. Tiptoeing past a sleeping Lairon, they entered the next room and dashed up the stairs in a hurry.

On the thirteenth floor, Carlos grabbed 122 poke and electrocuted a Carnivine that attacked them from behind. They ran away from a Sandshrew, going through a couple of corridors before racing up the steps. The wild Sandshrew left, frustrated.

On the fourteenth floor, they found themselves in a room with a Lairon and a Rhyhorn. Carlos and Lucar managed to defeat the Rhyhorn with Quick Attack and Rock Slide, Sunburst lending a hand in defeating the Lairon by using Flame Wheel. Running into a dead end shortly after, they were cornered by a Carnivine that was easily defeated by Carlos' Quick Attack. They found the stairs in the next room immediately afterward.

On the fifteenth floor, Carlos grabbed 4 Iron Thorns and 104 poke before they were ambushed by a Carnivine in the hall. Lucar's Force Palm took it out and the blind Riolu quickly fought the Trapinch waiting behind the fallen Grass-type. Sandra tossed in a Quick Attack at the last second, knocking it out. Picking up the 4 Iron Thorns it dropped, they dashed through a few more rooms before finding the stairs. The group gratefully went up the stairs, escaping the mystery dungeon at long last.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the throne room…_

"What did you say?" Kadar yelled.

The Skarmory Patrol, Urbana included, cowered before the Kadabra. The lead Skarmory took a step back, shivering. He opened his beak, repeating what he said.

"W-we believe th-that Princess S-Sunburst has r-returned, sir," he said shakily.

"How?" Kadar demanded.

"W-we don't k-know, sir," the lead Skarmory replied. "B-but I'm c-certain it w-was her. Th-there are n-no other Q-Quilava in the k-kingdom!"

"Are you sure it wasn't Prince Qwil?" Kadar asked.

"I'm c-certain, sir," the lead Skarmory nodded. "It h-had to b-be P-Princess S-Sunburst!"

"Curses!" Kadar smashed his fit into the armrest of King Ty's throne, furious.

"I warned you that we never got her, Kadar," a female voice said. "And now look what's happening. The princess is coming home."

"Why didn't you stop her?" Kadar growled, waving away the Skarmory Patrol. The Steel-types quickly left the throne room. The Kadabra stood up, turning his full attention to his guests. "You said she was probably in Treasure Town. Why didn't you kidnap her there?"

"And risk being seen? No way, baby," a second voice, this one male, chuckled. "Did any of your metal birdbrains happen to mention who was with her?"

"Yes," Kadar nodded. "Is it of importance?"

"Maybe," the second voice said.

"Kayle, the leader of the Skarmory Patrol, told me that Princess Sunburst was being escorted by a Pikachu, a Riolu, and an Eevee." Kadar replied.

The three dark figures looked at each other, a grin spreading across the biggest one's face. "We know who those three are, baby. We'll deal with them."

"How?" Kadar asked.

"Boss happens to want the Eevee from those three, if it's who we think it is," the third figure explained. "We'll get rid of the Pikachu and the Riolu, steal the Eevee, and kidnap the princess. You won't need to get your hands dirty!"

"Good," Kadar nodded. "You better get this done. I'm not pleased that you failed to kidnap the princess when I had her so neatly tied up for you in Labyrinth Cave."

The biggest figure smirked, stepping out of the shadows. It was Thrax. Raptor and Snowflake stepped out alongside him. "Don't worry, baby. This time, we'll get the job done."

Kadar smiled. "Excellent,"

"But, just as a precaution, why not have a back-up plan?" Snowflake suggested.

"Yes?" Kadar looked at the Glaceon.

"If these three are who we think they are, and I'm certain they are, then they have teammates back in Treasure Town." Snowflake explained. "Those three have escaped from us multiple times already and we're short of one of our own members. If they do happen to get past us, why not use their friends' safety as a means to capture them and the princess?"

"I'm listening," Kadar sat back down in King Ty's throne.

"Send some of your troops to kidnap their friends in Treasure Town. Bring them back here and hold them prisoner. If the princess and her escorts get into the kingdom, demand a surrender or their friends will suffer. Choose whatever you want as a threat. They'll be forced to choose between forfeiting the princess to you or losing their friends." Snowflake said.

"Clever," Kadar chuckled. "Who would these friends happen to be?"

"A female Raichu, a baby Minun, a female Piplup, and a shiny Zubat," Snowflake replied. "They should all be in the Wigglytuff's Guild."

"Perfect," Kadar smirked. "I won't need to send troops, though. I'll have Tooth and Claw do the job. They've wanted to get out and wreak havoc for quite some time now. This might be their best opportunity."

"I have someone else that needs to be found, baby." Thrax added. "A black Pikachu. If your two goons see him, have them bring him back. I don't like it when my minions go missing on me, baby."

"Done," Kadar nodded. "The only way into the kingdom is through the front gates. Hide around there and you should be able to catch them by surprise. You'll see them long before they see you, trust me."

"Why?" Raptor asked.

"Because, placed between the exit of the Northern Desert and the entrance of the kingdom, there is a patch of numerous quicksand pits. In order to reach the front gates, they'll need to go around the quicksand first." Kadar explained.

"We could just shove the Pikachu and the Riolu in the quicksand!" Raptor commented, grinning. "That would be fun! Right, Boss?"

"Yeah," Thrax nodded, smirking. "Let's get moving, guys."

_Outside the exit of the Northern Desert…_

"It's good to be out of there!" Carlos sighed. "So, how far away is the kingdom?"

"Not far," Sunburst replied. "If you look straight ahead, you can see a silhouette of the front gates and the palace."

"Hey! You're right!" the Pikachu cried.

The sun was setting, outlining the kingdom in the distance. The sky became a variety of bright colors. Sandra, her depression briefly forgotten, watched the colors in awe. Carlos described it to Lucar, whose blindness preventing him from seeing anything without aura. Sunburst looked at her kingdom in the distance.

_I'm coming, everyone,_ the Quilava thought.

"Hey, maybe we can get to the kingdom before the sun sets!" Carlos suddenly said.

"Huh?" Sunburst looked at Carlos in shock. "Wait, Carlos! There's qui—"

"Let's go!" Carlos dashed forward…and cried out in terror as his paws sank in the sand a few yards from his friends. "Guys, help!"

"Carlos!" Lucar cried.

"What's going on?" Sandra wailed.

"Quicksand!" Sunburst replied. "There's a thick patch of quicksand pits stretching from here to the front gates of my kingdom."

"We have to get him out!" Sandra cried.

The group dashed toward Carlos, stopping a foot from him in order to avoid the quicksand. The Pikachu tossed the Treasure Bag to them. Sandra dug through it until she pulled out the various ribbons, bows, and bands they had acquired. Tying them together, they formed a long rope. The Eevee tossed it toward Carlos.

"Grab it! Hurry!" Sandra cried.

"I'm…trying! Ugh!" Carlos struggled to reach the makeshift rope.

"Don't struggle so much! You'll sink faster!" Sunburst instructed.

"How would I know that?" Carlos demanded, finally snagging the rope.

"Any sensible Pokemon would know that!" Sunburst replied.

"Well, I didn't know that!" the Pikachu countered. "Pull me out!"

"How could you not know that?" the Quilava demanded.

"Because Carlos is a human, not a Pokemon!" Sandra shouted.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Carlos and Lucar stared at Sandra in shock for two reasons. Reason one: she had actually gotten angry at somebody for the first time since they made Team Legend. And reason two: she had just told Sunburst that Carlos was human.

_/Yep, you heard right. I told Sunburst about Carlos' ultimate secret. This would effect how Sunburst saw Carlos and later affect the events to come. Will it be in a good or bad way? You'll just have to wait and see./_

"…Oops?" the Eevee offered, suddenly realizing what she had done.

"Carlos is…a human?" Sunburst repeated. _But…that's impossible! Humans are all dead!_


	40. Chapter 39: Attacking Treasure Town

Chapter 39: Attacking Treasure Town

Carlos coughed, nearly up to his neck in quicksand. "Could you guys pull me out now?" he asked.

"Right!" Sandra and Lucar cried.

The trio grabbed the makeshift rope and pulled, dragging Carlos to the edge of the pit and hauling him out. Getting a safe distance away, Carlos shook off as best he could. After recovering their breath from the run, the team sat down in silence. The sky grew dark as the sun sank further below the horizon, leaving stars in its wake.

"So…" Sandra started, only to trail off.

Sunburst looked up at Carlos. "You're a human?" she asked.

"I was, but I'm a Pikachu now." Carlos explained, not meeting the princess' gaze. "I don't know how it happened. I can't remember anything aside from my name and that I was human."

_Could that be what he meant when he said he had no memories?_ Sunburst wondered.

"Lucar found me washed up on the beach outside of Treasure Town," Carlos continued. "He and I saved Sandra from drowning. Sandra's older sister led us to Wigglytuff's Guild and we created Team Legend. We've been together ever since. I haven't found out how I became a Pikachu, though."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Sunburst demanded.

"I… I guess I can't prove it." Carlos admitted. "You'll just have to take my word for it."

"It's true," Lucar said. "Carlos' aura is different from a normal Pikachu."

"I can't sense aura, unlike you." Sunburst reminded coldly.

"Oh, yeah," Lucar smiled nervously.

Carlos shifted nervously, looking back at the quicksand pits over his shoulder. _Weird… Something about those pits… It seemed…familiar. Just like at Foggy Forest. What could it be? Have I been here before?_

"Carlos, is something wrong?" Sandra asked.

"It's just… I'm getting a feeling, like I've been here before or something." Carlos said.

"Like at Foggy Forest," Lucar commented.

"Yeah, like that," Carlos nodded.

"Maybe you were here before you lost your memory," Sunburst suggested.

"That's what I'm thinking. But…why was I here?" Carlos wondered.

"Sunburst, you seem to know about humans." Lucar said.

"Yes, I do," the Quilava nodded.

"Could you tell us?" Sandra asked.

"Why not? It was long ago, though." Sunburst took a deep breath before continuing. "They're only stories my mother tells me, but she said that my ancestors used to serve humans. Humans had these…spheres that captured and enslaved Pokemon. Then they were forced to battle against one another for the humans' entertainment."

"That's horrible!" Sandra whimpered. "But…Carlos would _never_ do that!"

"Maybe you're right," Sunburst agreed. "Mother said that some humans were truly kind to us Pokemon. They raised and loved us. They let us battle when we wanted to. It was like we were part of the family."

"That sounds more like Carlos," Sandra said, smiling.

"Maybe," Carlos muttered. _How would I know? I can't remember anything about being human. What if I was one of those mean humans?_

"After the humans died out, the Pokemon that were born and raised by humans found it hard to readapt to life in the wild." Sunburst continued. "Many died. My family was one of the few that relearned to fight and survive in this world. Yet we never let the knowledge of our human-raised heritage fade. Many of the royal families have ancestors that were raised by humans."

"Incredible," Lucar said softly.

"We pass on our heritage through stories. Some were made up along the way and others were forgotten entirely. Yet the message remains strong." Sunburst sighed. "I'm confused about your claim, Carlos. Humans died out hundreds of years ago. If you really are a human, how did you survive to this day? The human lifespan only reaches to a hundred years, give or take a few years."

"I…don't know," Carlos said. "There's a lot I don't know, so I can't answer things like that. I'm looking for the answers, though. Maybe if I get my memories back, I'll know all of that."

"Sunburst, we have to ask that you don't tell anyone about this." Lucar said. "Most of our teammates know about Carlos being human, but we've decided not to tell anyone else."

"Who knows what will happen to Carlos if everyone knew he was human?" Sandra whimpered.

"Good point," Sunburst muttered. "Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret."

"Thanks," Carlos said, smiling. "Don't worry, Sunburst. We'll get you home tomorrow. I promise."

"Thank you," The Quilava smiled back. _Riolu and Eevee… I owe them both an apology. What I did was wrong. They truly are Carlos' friends. But…how will I tell Carlos that his friends' problems were caused by me?_

"We should get some sleep," Lucar said.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded, yawning. "Good night, guys."

"Night," Sandra said.

"Good night," Sunburst curled up on the ground beside Carlos. "Thank you…for everything."

"No problem," the Pikachu replied.

As the pair fell asleep, Sandra just watched them in envy. It took her a while to fall asleep, unable to get the image of Carlos and Sunburst snuggling together out of her head. As she drifted off, Lucar sighed.

_Poor Sandra,_ he thought. _I have to do something about this…before she loses hope completely._

_/I often wonder what things would be like if Carlos had fallen in love with Sunburst instead of me. What would change? What would be the same? It took me a while to get over the fact that Sunburst had lied to me. I don't feel the same envy I did back then whenever I saw Carlos and Sunburst together before he vanished. Things have changed since then, for the better…and for the worse./_

He soon fell asleep, too tired to come up with a plan to help his teammates. If he had stayed awake a moment longer, he would've noticed two large auras in the distance heading toward Treasure Town.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, Mark and Teri's hideout…_

"Princess Sunburst is coming back! Yes!" Teri cried, jumping up and down in joy.

"Urbana, this is wonderful news!" Mark said. "Thank you,"

"Well, it gets even better! She has an Exploration Team with her!" the Skarmory said. "A Pikachu, a Riolu, and an Eevee. They're probably the same ones from Maze Cave!"

"Labyrinth Cave," Mark corrected.

"Yeah, that place!" Urbana nodded.

"Excellent," Mark smiled, resting his Bone Club against his shoulder. "With an Exploration Team assisting us, there's no way Kadar can stop us."

"But…I also have bad news," Urbana said nervously.

Teri's bouncing stopped and Mark looked at Urbana, suddenly tense. "What bad news?" the Lucario asked.

"Kadar has hired a Big Five criminal to stop the princess and the Exploration Team from entering the kingdom," Urbana explained. "There was a Glaceon, a Staraptor, and a weird-looking Croagunk. He was missing a finger!"

"Thrax the Toxicroak," Mark growled. "I should've known!"

"He's going to wait by the front gates and attack them when they try to enter the kingdom," Urbana continued. "They're going to kidnap the princess and the Eevee."

"What about the other two?" Teri asked.

"The weird-looking Croagunk—" Urbana started.

"Toxicroak," Mark corrected.

"Yeah, that!" the Skarmory nodded. "He said he's going to throw the Pikachu and the Riolu in the quicksand pits."

"No way!" Teri cried, his twin tails lashing out in anger. "Mark, we've got to stop them!"

"No, _I've_ got to stop them. You're far too young to be fighting a criminal as powerful as Thrax, Teri." Mark said.

"But Princess Sunburst is _my_ friend!" Teri argued.

"And how would she react if I told her you foolishly fought Thrax and died?" the Lucario barked.

Teri backed up, whimpering.

"Please, stay here…where it's safe." Mark said gently.

"…Okay," the Buizel nodded.

"What will you do?" Urbana asked.

"I'll wait by the front gates, too. The moment Thrax attacks, I'll see if this Exploration Team can handle him." Mark replied. "I'll jump in if things get too overwhelming for them. I'll get them through the front gates and bring them back here."

"What about me?" the Skarmory asked.

"Go back to the Skarmory Patrol and keep Kayle away from the front gates," Mark ordered.

"Got it!" Urbana nodded. "Good luck to you!"

"Likewise," Mark wished.

The Skarmory ducked out of the small building and flew away. Teri and Mark looked at each other before breaking gazes. Teri walked back to the barrel while Mark headed out the door, dashing through the sandy streets toward the front gates.

_Please be safe, princess,_ the Lucario thought, gripping his Bone Club even tighter.

_The next morning, Treasure Town…_

"TIME TO WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

Michael instantly started crying due to the loud noise, only to be comforted by Joy. The Raichu sat up and yawned, glaring at the door that separated her from the retreating Loudred. As the baby Minun calm down, Joy sighed as her eyes trailed over the three empty beds in Team Legend's room.

_They'll be back soon,_ Joy thought.

"Morning already?" Luv complained, getting up.

"Well, morning has got to come sometime." Zuzu chuckled, flapping down from the ceiling.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," the Piplup argued, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "So, what should we do today?"

"We just wandered through Treasure Town yesterday," the shiny Zubat replied. "Maybe we should try out a mission or two today."

"Maybe," Luv muttered.

_/While we were trying to bring Princess Sunburst home, our teammates were mostly lazing about. I guess Carlos made up most of the motivation for our team every morning. But there were other duties to perform aside from doing missions since we were gone, like caring for Michael and leading Blackie around Treasure Town to meet the townsfolk. Too bad their laziness ends today./_

A tremor through the ground caused the group to stiffen. Blackie, who had just awoken, instantly scrambled over to Joy and looked around in fear. A second tremor made them jump into action, fleeing the room and entering the main room. The rest of the Guild was there, looking around in confusion and fear.

"What's GOING ON here?" Loudred demanded.

"Oh my gosh! Is it an earthquake? Eek!" Sunflora cried.

"Everyone, please calm down!" Chatot yelled. "We don't know the source of these tremors yet, but I've dispatched Team Heroes and Team Shellshock to investigate. Whatever this is, we'll know soon en—"

A loud roar echoed from outside, along with a few screams. Guildmaster Wigglytuff led the rest of the Guild outside and stared in shock as Rhyperior, leader of Team Heroes, crashed into the Guild steps. Team Shellshock was already fleeing, evacuating Treasure Town along the way. The rest of Team Heroes continued to fire their attacks at a pair a large Pokemon that advanced on them.

It was a Tyranitar and a Feraligatr. Both Pokemon were easily tossing aside Team Heroes and peering into the surrounding structures, roaring in rage.

"Where did those Pokemon come from?" Chatot cried.

"Oh my gosh! What do we do, Guildmaster?" Sunflora wailed, looking at Wigglytuff.

"YOOM…" Wigglytuff began to puff up.

"Everyone, back away quickly!" Chatot warned.

The entire Guild instantly dashed away from the Guildmaster, who was sucking in air to inflate himself. When he was nearly as big as Team Heroes' Lickilicky, he faced the two approaching Pokemon.

"…TAAAAAAAAAH!"

The two massive Pokemon roared in agony, Wigglytuff's Hyper Voice pushing them back a few dozen yards. Tyranitar ended up crash-landing on the beach below Treasure Town. Feraligatr fell off the edge of Sharpedo Bluff, falling into the ocean. Wigglytuff's attack soon came to an end, nearly making the Normal-type fall over from the effort.

"Guildmaster!" Chatot cried, quickly flying toward Wigglytuff.

"Are you okay?' Joy asked, helping Wigglytuff up.

"I'm fine," Wigglytuff gasped. "Are they gone?"

"I don't know," Chatot admitted. "I'll go che—"

"No! If they're not gone, they'll come back. Don't put yourself at risk, Chatot!" Wigglytuff pleaded.

"…Yes, Guildmaster," Chatot said.

Blackie, holding the sniffling Michael in his arms, turned to look at his other two teammates. "What just happened?" he asked.

"I don't know," Zuzu replied. "Treasure Town is trashed and the Guild steps will need to be prepared. What could those Pokemon have wanted?"

Blackie shrugged. "Luv, do you…? Luv? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Zuzu turned to face the Piplup. "Luv? What's the matter?"

Luv was shaking, eyes wide in terror as she stared at Sharpedo Bluff. "That Ferligatr…" she whispered. "No…"

"Why Luv shaking so much?" Michael asked. He only recently learned how to form complete sentences, though he forgot words on occasion.

"Luv, what's wrong?" Zuzu asked, wrapping a wing around her friend. "Luv, answer me!"

"That Feraligatr! He—AAAAH!" Luv screamed.

The Feraligatr dragged himself up and over the edge of Sharpedo Bluff, water streaming down his thick scales. Wigglytuff struggled to stand up, only to have Joy stand before him. Sparks shot from her cheeks as she faced the Water-type. The Feraligatr snarled, baring his sharp teeth at the Raichu.

"Found you," the Feraligatr growled, smirking.

"I don't know what you want, but I'm not letting you hurt anyone!" Joy declared, the sparks increasing in intensity. "Take this! Thunder—"

"Joy, look out!" Blackie shouted.

The Raichu whipped around, only to be hit by a large rock. Michael screamed, trying to wiggle out of Blackie's grip. The Tyranitar grinned, picking Joy up by the tail and dropping her into a sack. Luv tried to stop him, firing a Bubblebeam at him. Tyranitar growled before raising a hand, smashing it on the top of the Guild steps. A few of the Guild members and the remaining members of Team Legend tumbled down the destroyed steps.

"Guys! Run!" Chatot cried. "Get away, quickly!"

"Where do we g—AAAAH!" Blackie screamed as he was picked up by the tail, holding onto Michael.

"Found the missing one," the Tyranitar growled, looking at the Ferligatr. He dropped the two Electric-types in the sack. "Now to get bird and bat,"

"Give our friends back!" Zuzu shouted. "Wing Attack!"

Tyranitar laughed as the tiny whirlwinds hit him, doing very little damage. Putting the sack down, he clapped his claws together in an attempt to catch the Zubat. Zuzu kept flying around, dodging the swiping claws.

"Luv! Free the others!" Zuzu cried. "Hurry! I can't keep this up forever!"

"R-right!" the Piplup nodded.

Luv dashed toward the sack, only to skid to a stop as Feraligatr spotted her. The Water-type grinned, dropping to all fours as he approached. Luv began to back up, whimpering. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Well, well," the Feraligatr rumbled. "It's the bird from the river. Have fun hiding? No more hiding now. Must bring back to Master now,"

"No," Luv squeaked, continuing back up. _It can't be! How did he find me again?_

"Bye-bye, bird," Feraligatr lifted a hand and brought it down on top of the terrified Piplup.

"Luv!" Zuzu shouted, only to scream as Tyranitar succeeded in smashing her between his large claws. "No…"

_/If you haven't already figured it out, you'll soon learn the reason behind why Luv is terrified of this particular Feraligatr. Her fear of him was so strong that it stopped her from running away from being crushed by him! Her fear is even worse than my fear of water…/_

The two large Pokemon grinned at each other before dropping their last two targets into the sack. Feraligatr led the way as the left the destroyed Treasure Town behind them.

"Joy, Blackie, Michael, Luv, Zuzu! No!" Azurill and Marill cried.

"We have to…go after them!" Wigglytuff coughed, struggling to get up.

"Not in your condition, Guildmaster!" Chatot argued.

"Hey, hey, hey! Doesn't it look like those two are headed toward the Northern Desert?" Corphish commented.

"Corphish is RIGHT! They ARE headed to the Northern Desert!" Loudred cried.

"Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar are there!" Bidoof added. "They'll surely save them! Oh, yes sirree!"

"I hope you're right, Bidoof," Chatot said.

"Don't worry, Chatot. If anyone can save Joy and the others, it's Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar." Wigglytuff smiled. "They always get the job done."

Chatot nodded, smiling. "You're right, Guildmaster."

"Chatot, we'll start rebuilding Treasure Town right away!" Rhyperior volunteered.

"We'll help!" Luffy agreed. "Right, KC, Bradley?"

"Right!" the pair cried.

"Good! Then hop to it!" Chatot ordered. "There's a lot of damage to be repaired! We'll leave Team Legend in Carlos' capable hands."

As the guild members, Team Heroes, and Team Shellshock separated to repair the damaged town and Guild, they never noticed a pair of eyes watching them from a treetop near the well. "My, what destruction those two caused. And all over a couple of Team Legend's recruits! I wonder why…? Well, maybe I'll find out!"

The figure vanished into the leaf cover, the wind carrying the figure's giggles across the town and over the ocean. Its newest plan would soon be executed.

_Outside of the Northern Desert Kingdom, the front gates…_

"Here we are, Carlos. The front gates to my kingdom," Sunburst said.

In front of the four Pokemon was a huge wall of concrete with a pair of steel double-doors in front of them. A few piles of large crates rested along either side of the massive doors, which gleamed brightly in the hot desert sunlight. Even Lucar had to shield his eyes, his aura vision being clouded by the brightness.

"These doors are made from layers of shed Steelix skin," Sunburst explained. "They can only be opened by the strongest of our Aggron guards…and by my mentor."

"Well, call out the guards." Carlos said. "I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you again, Sunburst."

"Indeed," the Quilava nodded. _Along with the brave escorts who brought me here,_ she mentally added.

"Hello? We've brought the princess back!" Lucar called.

Nobody replied except for the whipping wind.

"Huh?" Carlos looked at Sunburst in confusion.

"Guards, open the doors! I, Princess Sunburst, have returned home!" Sunburst cried.

Still no reply.

"Where are the guards?" Sandra asked.

"I…I don't know. They're always here." Sunburst rested a paw on one of the closed doors. "Always…"

"Oh, they're definitely there, baby. They're just taking a long nap right now."

"Is that…?" Lucar whipped around.

"It has to be! But how did he find us out here?" Carlos cried.

"Who? Who is it?" Sunburst asked.

"Thrax," Sandra growled, fur bristling.

"That's my name, baby," Thrax chuckled, peering down from the crate he was sitting on. "Don't wear it out."

Raising his glowing claw, Thrax smirked as Raptor and Snowflake surrounded the group. Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra placed themselves in front of Sunburst, preparing to fight. Thrax jumped down from the crate, landing beside Snowflake.

"Sorry, kiddos, but we'll be taking the princess from here," he said.

"Not on our lives!" Carlos cried.

"Too bad," the Toxicroak shrugged. "Raptor, grab the princess and the Eevee. Baby, freeze the other two. Failure isn't an option this time."


	41. Chapter 40: Protect Princess Sunburst

Chapter 40: Protect Princess Sunburst

Team Legend glared at the approaching criminals, forming an even smaller ring around Sunburst and the steel doors that led into the Northern Desert Kingdom. Sparks shot from Carlos' cheeks, Lucar cracked his knuckles, and Sandra began to gather dark energy in preparation for a Shadow Ball. Sunburst had her back pressed against the giant double-doors. She was suddenly very afraid.

…And with good reason.

Raptor and Snowflake advanced on the four Pokemon slowly, searching for a weak point in their formation. The pair came up with a simple yet effective plan. The Staraptor took to the sky, leaving Snowflake to charge them from the front.

"Oh no, you don't!" Lucar growled. "Force Palm!"

Snowflake ducked under the punch, ramming into the Riolu's chest. Sandra rushed the Glaceon from the left, only to crash face-first into Snowflake's Protect. Lucar's Feint easily tore it down, only for Raptor to hit him with Wing Attack from behind.

"Hah! This is too easy!" Raptor laughed, hitting Sandra with Close Combat.

Sandra and Lucar dashed back to Carlos, forming a line in front of Sunburst. Thrax remained on the sidelines, smirking. Snowflake and Raptor advanced again. They had Team Legend cornered.

_That Glaceon,_ Lucar thought, panting for breath. _Could it be…? It has to! The aura is the exact same!_

"Lucar, what's wrong?" Carlos asked, noticing the look on his teammate's face.

"That Glaceon," Lucar replied. "I think… I think it's Snowflake."

"From Treasure Town?" Carlos cried.

"Are you sure?" Sandra asked.

"Yes," Lucar nodded. "The aura matches hers."

Carlos turned to face Snowflake and Raptor. "Snowflake! Is that you?" he demanded.

Snowflake narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

"Sorry, baby, but you've got the wrong Glaceon. That one won't speak to anyone but me." Thrax said.

"He's lying," Lucar said under his breath.

_/Snowflake is one of the trickiest Pokemon we've ever come across. We 'save' her from Thrax, take her into Treasure Town, share some of our secrets with her, and generally treat her like a friend. In exchange, she turns around and stabs us in the back. It would still be a while before we figured out that Thrax popping up during our expedition to Fogbound Lake was no coincidence./_

"Enough chatter! Raptor, Baby, do your jobs!" Thrax ordered.

"Right, Boss!" Raptor nodded.

Snowflake nodded as well, not saying a word.

"You're not getting Sandra or Sunburst!" Carlos declared.

"Just watch, baby. We'll get them both." Thrax said.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried, throwing the dark energy sphere at Snowflake.

_You're not the only one who can do that, brat!_ Snowflake unleashed her own Shadow Ball, the ensuing explosion covering the area in smoke.

Carlos stayed close to Sunburst, sparks shooting from his cheeks in even wilder bolts. A large shadow to his right caused him to unleash a powerful Thunderbolt. The shadow's scream revealed it to be Raptor. A second scream mingled with it.

"Sandra!" Carlos cried, recognizing it.

The smoke cleared, revealing Sandra to be pinned to the sand by Snowflake's paw. The Glaceon kept pushing the Eevee deeper and deeper into the sand, dark blue eyes narrowed with hatred. Lucar trembled angrily, his aura vision focused on Raptor despite his body facing Snowflake.

Thrax laughed. "Good job, baby! One down, one to go!"

Before Carlos could say anything, Raptor struck. Lucar tried to shout a warning but he was too late. The Steel Wing caught the Pikachu under the chin, throwing him backward hard. Carlos crashed into the steel doors and slumped to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Carlos!" Sunburst cried, dashing to his side. "Carlos, no! Wake up!"

"Ugh…" Carlos twitched before falling motionless again. Silver stars and white dots danced across his vision.

"Car—GAAAH!" Lucar found himself tossed to the ground, his back aching from being hit by a second Wing Attack. "Grrrr!"

Raptor placed a single clawed foot on Lucar's back, pressing the blind Riolu down into the sand slightly. "Gotcha, you stupid brat! You're not outwitting me a second time!"

"Darn it!" Lucar cursed, coughing as sand got in his mouth.

"Now to throw you and your precious Pikachu leader into the quicksand pits!" the Staraptor said, smirking. "Any last words?"

"Yeah," Lucar smiled, picking up something with his aura vision. "You might want to watch out."

"Why?" Raptor asked.

Snowflake looked up and gasped, speaking for the first time during the battle. "Look out!" she shouted.

"Huh?" Raptor looked at her in confusion before looking forward. He screamed.

A huge wheel of fire was hurtling straight toward him. Raptor flapped his wings in a desperate attempt to escape, leaving Lucar behind. The flames singed his feathers but he succeeded in dodging most of the attack. Crash-landing in front of Thrax, the Flying-type proceeded to roll in the sand to put out a small flame that had erupted on his tail feathers.

"AAAH! I'm on fire! Help! Help!" Raptor screamed, continuing to roll around.

"I'm com—AAAAH!" Snowflake screamed as a second Flame Wheel shot past her, making her leap off of Sandra.

Sandra and Lucar jumped to their feet, dashing toward their injured leader. Sunburst stood in front of the Pikachu protectively, flames erupting from her head and lower back. She glared angrily at Thrax and his goons.

"How _dare_ you hurt Carlos? You fiends!" she hissed, the flames growing brighter as her rage built. "I don't know what you want with me, but I won't tolerate you attacking my escorts! Leave now or prepare to battle!"

Raptor and Snowflake looked at Thrax, uncertain of what to do. The Toxicroak growled, heaving himself off of the crate he had been sitting on. His claw began to glow violet. He frowned at the Quilava.

"I was hoping this would be an easy kidnapping," Thrax commented. "I take out the guards, kidnap the princess, and leave on my merry little way. Princesses don't usually fight back. What happened to the prissy princesses who beg and scream for their guards to save them, offering everything they own in return for their safety?"

"There are no 'prissy princesses' here, Thrax. My mentor made sure of that." Sunburst said firmly.

"Too bad," Thrax sighed. "I was hoping to bring you back undamaged. It looks like that won't be happening. Oh well. I'll just have to be sure I don't do too much damage to you. You're valuable, after all."

"The only place I'm going is home!" Sunburst cried.

"And I'm under orders to ensure you never get home!" Thrax countered, grinning. He charged. "Poison Jab!"

"Fla—?" Sunburst started, only to stop as a glint of sunlight caught her eye. _Could that be…?_

"Sunburst, look out!" Sandra cried.

The Quilava, snapping back to attention, gasped as Thrax's glowing claw swiped toward her. Leaping back a step, she raised her arms to defend herself. Thrax grinned, certain he had completed his assigned objective.

…He was wrong. _Very_ wrong.

A blur of black and blue dove down from the top of a stack of crates. It moved so fast that even Lucar's aura vision couldn't identify who it was at first. The blur landed between Sunburst and Thrax. A blur of white shot from the creature's paw, striking Thrax upside the head with a resounding crack. The Toxicroak jumped backward, clutching his aching head.

"Boss!" Raptor cried. "Are you okay?"

"GAAAH!" Thrax cried out, tasting blood in his mouth. "What was that?"

"I hope you enjoyed a taste of my Bone Club, Thrax," a cold voice said.

Sunburst instantly looked up, shocked. "Mark!" she cried.

Lucar and Sandra looked at each other. "Huh?" they chorused.

"He's my mentor," Sunburst explained quickly. "The one who taught me to fight and can open this door all on his own."

Lucar looked back at the mysterious Pokemon, his aura vision finally registering what it was. "A Lucario," he whispered. _One of my kind… I haven't seen a Lucario since my father…_

_/We'll get to see Lucar's father in the future, so don't worry. As for now, Mark will eventually give Lucar a useful gift. What it is, you'll have to wait and see./_

The Lucario straightened up, his Bone Club resting against his shoulder. Looking back at Sunburst, he smiled. "Welcome home, princess. We've missed you."

"Mark, get us inside! Carlos needs help!" Sunburst pleaded.

Mark looked at the unconscious Pikachu before nodding. Checking to be sure Thrax wouldn't try anything funny, the Lucario turned to face the steel double-doors. Slamming both paws on the metallic surface, he shoved with all his might. With a low creak, the twin doors slowly opened. Sunburst, Sandra, and Lucar dashed inside, the blind Riolu carrying Carlos on his back. Mark followed them inside.

"What about them?" Sandra asked, looking back outside at the wounded Thrax and his goons.

"I'll close the doors, but that won't stop them from getting in. Criminals always find a way." Mark said, as if reciting it from somewhere.

With another great shove, the twin doors closed once more. Mark panted for breath, exhausted from moving the steel doors. He turned back to Sunburst and smiled. He had no time to react when Sunburst suddenly hugged him, tears in her eyes.

"I missed you," she whimpered.

"And we, you," Mark said softly, hugging her back. "We must hurry, princess. It won't take the Skarmory Patrol long to realize Thrax failed in capturing you. I just hope Urbana can hold Kayle off until we get back."

"To the castle?" Sunburst asked.

"No," Mark shook his head. "It's too dangerous, princess."

"Why? What's going on?" Sunburst asked.

"I'll explain later. For now, we must hurry back." Mark said. "Teri must be worried sick."

"But—" Sunburst started.

"_Later_, princess! For now, we must move!" Mark ordered.

The Quilava fell silent before nodding. Mark turned and dashed down the street, the princess and Team Legend in tow. It didn't take too long for them to arrive at the small building serving as their temporary hiding place. Tapping on the door, Mark waited patiently before opening it. He led them inside, closing the door behind them.

"Teri! I'm back!" Mark announced. "Princess Sunburst is with me!"

"Sunburst!" The Buizel jumped out from behind the barrel.

"Teri!" Sunburst hugged her friend, smiling. "I missed you!"

"You won't believe what happened after you vanished! The whole kingdom is in ruins thanks to Kadar!" Teri cried. "It's horrible!"

"Kadar?" Sunburst looked at Mark, confused.

The Lucario sat on a stool and sighed. "Much has happened since you left," he said. "But first, let us care for your friend."

Lucar lowered Carlos to the ground and Mark pulled out bandages, wrapping them around the Pikachu's head. Carlos winced but remained unconscious. Once that was done, Mark rested him on a thick blanket. Sandra and Lucar sat down beside their leader, worried.

Mark returned to his seat, resting his Bone Club against the wall beside him. He folded his paws in front of him, heaving another sigh. His red eyes met Sunburst's gaze.

"You're not going to like this, princess. Things are very different now since you left." Mark said. "I don't know everything that has happened…but I'll tell you what I can. Your parents…"

"What about them?" Sunburst asked, suddenly very afraid.

Mark sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Kadar… He locked them in the dungeons. He's trying to rule the kingdom by himself. With your older brother gone and you…conveniently missing, nobody bothered stopping him. The entire kingdom is suffering."

"Why? Why would Kadar do this?" Sunburst demanded.

"I don't know," Mark admitted. "But I overheard his plans a few nights ago. This isn't the only kingdom he's trying to rule. He wants to unite and rule over all of the royal families…and he'll do anything to achieve that."

"Even have you kidnapped, Sunburst!" Teri cried.

"Where's my brother? Why isn't he here?" Sunburst asked.

"He's still visiting the Miracle Sea Kingdom, princess. He shouldn't be back for a few more days still." Mark said.

"Haven't you sent him a distress message?" Sunburst demanded.

"We would have, but Kadar is monitoring the Pidgeot Post! No mail gets through without him rifling through it first!" Mark shouted. "The entire kingdom is cut off from the rest of the world! Kadar has kept up appearances to ensure the outside nations don't become suspicious! We've been unable to do anything, princess!"

"Mark…" Teri whimpered.

The Lucario blinked before backing up a step. "I apologize, princess. I was…out of line there."

"It… It's okay," Sunburst said, looking away.

Mark looked at Sandra and Lucar. "Are you three the Exploration Team sent to bring Princess Sunburst home?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. "We're Team Legend from Wigglytuff's Guild."

"I've never heard of you," Mark commented. "How strong are the three of you?"

"We're nearly Level 30," Lucar replied. "And it's not just the three of us. We have more members back in Treasure Town."

Mark nodded. "Understood,"

Before he could continue, three sharp taps sounded on the door. Picking up his Bone Club, the Lucario opened the door a crack before backing up and fully opening it. Urbana stepped inside, ducking to ensure she wouldn't hit the top of the doorframe.

"I have news, Mark!" she reported.

"Urbana!" Sunburst cried.

"Princess! You've returned!" the Skarmory cried.

Mark stepped aside, allowing the Quilava to embrace Urbana. The Steel-type hugged her back, a smile forming on her metallic beak. Stepping back from each other, Urbana swung around to face Mark again.

"Has Kadar found out about the princess being here?" he asked.

"Not yet but soon, I think!" Urbana replied. "The weird-looking Croagunk and his goons have already scaled the walls and are heading back to the castle. Kadar will know soon enough."

Lucar looked at Teri. "Weird-looking Croagunk?" he repeated, confused.

"Urbana's a little odd," the Buizel explained. "She mixes up names and stuff really easily. It's pretty funny sometimes."

"I see," Lucar listened in on the conversation again.

"Anything else?" Mark asked.

"Yes, but it might be nothing, I think." Urbana said. "Tooth and Claw were coming from the south. I don't know what they were doing."

"Tooth and Claw? That can't be right." Mark muttered. "They never leave the castle."

"Maybe they wanted a change of scenery?" Teri suggested, holding back a laugh.

"Kadar must have something big planned if he sent those two out of the kingdom," Mark said, pacing in front of the barrel. "Urbana, do you have any idea where they may have been coming from?"

"South, definitely. It looked like they were coming from the direction of the sea, I think." Urbana replied. "Which is weird since Claw hates water."

"Anywhere specific?" Mark asked.

"I don't know," Urbana shrugged.

Mark leaned against the wall. "What could Kadar be planning?" he muttered.

_/Kadar had a lot of things planned. Most of those things would never come to fruition. Some, though, would happen whether it's the way he planned or not. What he had planned for us was both very clever…and very cruel./_

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the throne room…_

"You failed again?" Kadar shouted.

"A Lucario jumped in right as I had the princess, baby! This is _his_ fault, not mine!" Thrax barked. His head was still throbbing from getting hit with the Bone Club. "If he hadn't jumped in, we would've succeeded!"

"A Lucario? That must be Mark. I knew he was still here." Kadar muttered.

"They got inside of the kingdom," Snowflake said.

"Curses!" Kadar stood up from King Ty's throne. "Can you three be anymore useless?"

"Hey! Don't call Boss useless!" Raptor yelled.

"Don't forget that it was _you_ who came crawling to _me_, begging for help in ruling this place and keeping the princess away, baby!" Thrax snapped, glaring at the Kadabra. "You're the one at fault here!"

Before the argument could continue, two loud roars echoed through the castle. Tooth and Claw slowly entered the throne room, a large sack clutched in Claw's hands. The sack was dumped in front of Kadar and the pair backed off, waiting silently for orders.

"What is…?" Kadar suddenly smirked. "Oh… I forgot about the back-up plan you insisted on having, Thrax."

"It was Snowflake's idea, not mine." Thrax corrected. "That's what she's for. Right, baby?"

"Yes," Snowflake nodded.

"Let them out, but guard the exits!" Kadar ordered. "Let's see who my minions captured, just to be certain they got the right targets."

With a quick swipe, Claw easily tore open the sack. He and Tooth stood guard by the throne room doors. Thrax, Snowflake, and Raptor kept watch over the windows. There was no escape. Kadar sat in King Ty's throne, watching as the opened sack wriggled.

Joy was the first to crawl out, holding Michael close to her chest. Luv followed the Raichu, coughing. Blackie dragged Zuzu out with him, looking around in fear. Michael was whimpering, only to be shushed by Joy.

"Where are we?" Luv asked, moving closer to Joy.

"I don't know," Joy muttered.

"It looks like Tooth and Claw did their jobs correctly." Kadar commented, attracting the group's attention. "Extra meat tonight as a reward,"

Tooth and Claw grinned, showing off their sharp teeth. The Tyranitar started to drool at the thought of having extra food. Tooth, on the other hand, eyed Luv and her friends. Kadar spotted the look and frowned. Tooth looked away, getting the message. The prisoners weren't to be eaten...yet.

Thrax smirked upon seeing Blackie. "Well, well, about time you came back." He walked toward them, reaching out to grab the black Pikachu. "I don't know what you were thinking when you chose to run off, but you should know better than that. Maybe a bit of punishment should be in order, baby."

"Huh? Who… Who are you?" Blackie yelped, backing away from Thrax.

"Huh?" Thrax stopped, blinking in shock. "What, you suddenly don't remember your leader? You little… It's me, Thrax!"

_Thrax?_ Joy suddenly spotted the missing hand-claw. That confirmed the Toxicroak's identity. _You kidnapper…_

"I don't know you!" Blackie cried.

"I'm not falling for that, baby. Now let's go!" Thrax grabbed Blackie's arm and proceeded to drag him away…only to scream as he was blasted with a powerful Thunderbolt. Whirling around, Thrax glared as Joy pulled the newly-freed Blackie close. "Who the heck do you think you are, attacking me?"

"A very angry mother," Joy growled, sparks leaping from her cheeks. "You stole my son from me, Thrax. I want him back…now!"

"Son?" Thrax scratched his head before making the connection. "Oh! You mean that bratty Pichu from Oran Forest! He's yours? I can see where he got the attitude from! It was so much fun breaking him, you know. Oh, good times…"

"You…" Joy handed Michael off to Blackie and dropped onto all fours, sparks shooting wildly from her cheeks. "…MONSTER!"

Thrax yelped, jumping back as the Raichu suddenly charged at him. Joy never got close enough to hit him, though. She suddenly found herself picked up by an invisible force and hurled toward the ceiling. She hit a chandelier, destroying it. Crashing back to the floor, crystal shards scattered all around the room.

"Joy!" Zuzu cried.

"Leave her alone!" Luv pleaded as Thrax stepped forward, his claw glowing.

"Thrax," Kadar said coldly. "We need them alive."

Thrax growled before backing off, glaring at the Raichu. Blackie kneeled by her side, shaking her before realizing Joy was unconscious. The black Pikachu glared back at Thrax, which shocked the criminal.

_Just what in Arceus' name is going on here?_ Thrax thought.

_/It would take Thrax a while to realize that he no longer had control over Blackie. Due to his amnesia, Blackie not only lost all of his memories…but his previous fear of Thrax was gone, too. That was probably the best thing about Blackie's amnesia. He no longer feared Thrax, so he could stand up to him now./_

"Thrax, what of your minion?" Kadar asked.

Thrax sighed, looking away. "Toss him in a cell with them. I'll talk with him later."

"Understood," Kadar waved his hand and the group was led away by Tooth and Claw. "Our first plan failed. This back-up plan must work or all of my hard work will have been in vain."


	42. Chapter 41: A Plan and An Announcement

Chapter 41: A Plan and An Announcement

"Ugh…" Joy struggled to open her eyes, a stabbing pain making itself known from her back. "Wha…? Where…am I?"

"We're in a cell, Joy," Zuzu's voice replied.

"Huh?" Joy blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before speaking again. "Is everyone okay? What happened?"

"Everyone's fine," Luv reassured. "Blackie is taking care of Michael."

"I think that Kadabra used Psychic to throw you into a chandelier. You were out cold instantly." Zuzu explained. "That Tyranitar and Feraligatr threw us in this cell after that. We've been here ever since."

"Darn it," Joy growled. "If only I could've been a bit faster. I could've given Thrax a piece of my mind."

"You really hate him, don't you?" Luv guessed.

"With all my heart," Joy nodded, remaining laying on her stomach. "He kidnapped my son, David, from me."

"David?" Blackie piped up. _That name… Why does it sound so familiar to me?_

"Yes," Joy said. Tears sprang up in her eyes. "I joined Team Legend so I could find him. No luck yet, though."

"Don't cry, Joy! It's okay!" Luv cried. "I'm sure you'll find him one day!"

"I hope so," Joy muttered, sniffling. "And when I do, Thrax will regret ever taking him away from me. That's a promise."

"Where do you think we are?" Luv asked. "The floor's really dry and kind of sandy. Could we be in a desert?"

"If so, then there's only one place I can think of. We must be in the Northern Desert." Joy said.

"Then Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra can save us!" Luv cried.

"Not if we can get out of here ourselves," Zuzu said, flapping toward the ceiling.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, baby," an all-too-familiar voice warned.

"Thrax!" Joy growled, fur bristling.

The criminal Toxicroak smirked, opening the cell door. Stepping inside, he scanned the shadows before spotting Blackie. The black Pikachu instantly stood in front of the sleeping Michael, preparing to guard him at all costs. Thrax couldn't help but laugh.

"You really changed since you ran off, baby! Funny how you're trying to be brave now that you're with your new friends, but it won't save you." Thrax said.

"I didn't run off! I don't even know you!" Blackie cried. "But I know you're a bad Pokemon! You kidnapped Joy's son from her!"

Thrax laughed again. "Man, you're a hoot now, baby! But enough nice talk. If you don't remember me, I'll just have to make you remember."

"Stay away from him!" Joy shouted, sparks shooting from her cheeks.

"Back off!" Zuzu cried, firing a Wing Attack at the criminal.

"Go away!" Luv cried, unleashing a barrage of bubbles from her beak.

Thrax easily shrugged off the two weak attacks, reaching out to grab Blackie by the arm. The black Pikachu struggled to get loose, only to be forcefully dragged toward the door. Joy tried to follow, only to collapse from the pain in her back caused by hitting the chandelier.

"Let me go! Help!" Blackie cried, panicking.

"Bye, babies," Thrax waved goodbye to the other four members of Team Legend, slamming the door of their cell closed.

"Blackie!" Joy cried, trying to get up. She collapsed again, coughing. "No…"

"What was that? He acted like our attacks didn't hurt him!" Luv cried.

"They probably didn't," Zuzu muttered. "Thrax is really strong. I don't think he's ever been defeated, only driven off."

"No way," Luv whispered.

"Blackie?" Michael sat up, looking around in search of his babysitter. "Blackie! Come back! Blackie!" Tears welled up in his big brown eyes as the black Pikachu failed to appear.

"Shhh! Don't cry, Michael." Joy crawled over to the baby Minun, picking him up and rocking him gently.

"Where's Blackie?" Michael asked, sniffling.

"Don't worry," Joy said softly. "We'll get him back. One way or another, we'll get Blackie back. I promise."

The four Pokemon fell silent in the cell, praying that they ever got out in order to get Blackie back at all. They had no idea what Kadar had planned for them.

Outside of the cell, Thrax proceeded to drag the struggling Blackie up a flight of stairs to the first aboveground floor of the palace. Raptor and Snowflake were waiting for him. Thrax smirked, opening his mouth to give the pair orders…only to cry out in pain as Blackie's teeth sank into his left hand. The Toxicroak threw Blackie into the nearest wall, cursing as blood trickled from the bite wound.

"Thrax! Are you okay?" Snowflake asked, leaping to Thrax's side.

"The little brat bit me!" Thrax snarled, glaring at the black Pikachu. "You've _really_ changed, baby."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Blackie shouted, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "You've got the wrong Pikachu!"

"How many black Pikachu do you know?" Raptor asked.

"…Why does that matter?" Blackie demanded.

"There is only one black Pikachu in existence, as far as we know." Snowflake said. "That black Pikachu is you. There is no mistake. Your attitude seems to have drastically changed since Thrax lost you in Steam Cave after Groudon attacked. Why would that be?"

"Steam Cave? Groudon?" Blackie repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? That giant red lizard that tried to kill us when we followed Team Legend in search of Fogbound Lake's treasure!" Raptor cried.

"Fogbound Lake? I don't understand." Blackie said. "I've never heard of those things before."

"Maybe that bump on the head when Groudon hit him was worse than we thought, Boss." Raptor commented, looking at Thrax.

"Any ideas about what's going on here, baby?" Thrax looked at Snowflake.

"There's only one thing that comes to mind," the Glaceon replied. "That hit must've erased his memory. He has amnesia. He doesn't remember us or anything from before he was knocked unconscious by Groudon."

"That explains why he's so close to Team Legend! They must've turned him against us!" Raptor cried. "That's not fair! They can't do that! That's _our_ job!"

"So, he doesn't remember anything?" Thrax began to smirk. "Well then, how about we…educate him about his past?"

"Yeah," Raptor nodded, grinning.

"You two go ahead. I'll watch," Snowflake backed up.

"St-stay away f-from me!" Blackie stuttered, suddenly very afraid.

Thrax's lone claw began to glow. "Don't worry, baby. This will just hurt a lot." He laughed as he stepped closer to the black Pikachu, claw raised. "Time for you to take a trip down memory lane!"

Blackie screamed as the hand-claw descended upon him. Blood spilled to the ground and speckled the walls. Thrax's cruel laughter echoed through the halls of the palace.

_/It would still be a while before we found out about Blackie's true past. Amnesiacs usually revive their lost memories by experiencing familiar things from the past or allowing it to pass with time. Thrax's way of trying to reawaken Blackie's memories is so cruel that I can't even begin to describe it. Even now, Blackie refuses to speak of the event./_

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, Mark and Teri's hideout…_

"So, now what do we do?" Lucar asked. "Just sit here and wait until this Kadar person finds us?"

"We need a plan first," Mark said.

"Hey! I think Carlos is waking up!" Sandra cried.

Sunburst and Lucar dashed over, watching as the Pikachu slowly opened his eyes. Blinking tiredly, Carlos smiled up at his teammates and the princess.

"Hey," Carlos said, smiling.

"How do you feel?" Sandra asked.

"My head hurts," Carlos replied. "I had a really funny dream. I was walking through this dark tunnel and there was someone beside me, but I couldn't see them at all. We passed a small fountain but the water didn't move. These weird…purple things with jewels for eyes suddenly attacked us. We fought them off and then had to fight this other thing that I couldn't see. I could only see one eye watching us. Weird, right?"

"That hit must've scrambled your brain a little bit, Carlos." Lucar joked, smiling.

"Maybe," Carlos chuckled. "I've been having a lot of weird dreams lately. Maybe I'm going crazy."

"You're not crazy, Carlos! You're perfectly fine!" Sunburst instantly argued. "I have strange dreams sometimes. Everyone does!"

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

"Here," Mark held an Oran Berry out to Carlos. "This should get rid of that headache. We have plans to make."

Carlos bit into the Oran Berry and the pain began to lessen instantly. Devouring the whole berry, he felt much better. It was almost as if he hadn't crashed head-first into the outer walls of the kingdom. Carlos smiled, satisfied.

"Thanks! Um…who are you?" the Pikachu asked.

"I am Mark, the princess' mentor in combat training." Mark replied.

"He saved us from Thrax after you got knocked out, Carlos." Sandra explained. "We're in the Northern Desert Kingdom right now."

"And our mission is not yet complete, apparently." Lucar added. "Sunburst's kidnapping was no accident. It was planned so that the king and queen's advisor could take over the kingdom. We have to stop him before he goes after the rest of the royal families and controls them, too."

"Wow… I sure missed a lot." Carlos realized. "So, what's the plan?"

"We're working on one right now." Mark replied, sitting next to the barrel and tapping his Bone Club on the sandy floor, thinking. "If we could sneak past the palace guards, we could infiltrate the castle and free King Ty and Queen Floe. Their combined strength might be enough to overwhelm Kadar… But that leaves Tooth and Claw to deal with."

"Tooth and Claw?" Lucar repeated. "Who are they?"

"Two of the most dangerous Pokemon in the entire Northern Desert Kingdom," Sunburst explained. "Claw is a Tyranitar and Tooth is a Feraligatr. They are the last resort warriors if our kingdom ever fell under siege, which, thankfully, has not yet happened. They are usually kept in the arena on the highest floor of the castle."

"Kadar has made them his most loyal followers now. They carry out his commands, though they are prone to failure if they are to search for one specific Pokemon in a large crowd." Mark said. "Recently, we've gotten word that they were seen leaving the kingdom and then returning many hours later. They were headed toward the sea, apparently. We don't know why, though."

"Tooth might like to swim in the sea, but not Claw!" Teri piped up.

"Is there any way we can defeat those two and free Sunburst's parents?" Carlos asked.

"You could possibly deal with Tooth, though he's very fast for his size. I could deal with Claw on my own, however strong he is." Mark replied. "But Kadar won't just stand by and let us free King Ty and Queen Floe. If, by some miracle, we succeed in getting past Tooth and Claw, we might have to fight Kadar. He's strong and clever, just like most Kadabra tend to be. He'll be a tough opponent."

"We'll have to risk it," Carlos said. "Our mission is to get Sunburst home safely. We can't just leave when her kingdom, and all of the other kingdoms with it, is in danger. We're an Exploration Team! Our job is to help Pokemon and take down criminals!"

"Wow!" Teri stared at Carlos, starry-eyed.

"Your Riolu friend told me you all happen to be around Level 30," Mark commented. "Kadar is near Level 35 while Tooth and Claw are both at Level 40. All three of them won't be easy to take down. I won't blame you for backing out. As a guard to King Ty and Queen Floe, it is my duty to protect Princess Sunburst and the Northern Desert Kingdom from all threats."

"We're not backing out," Carlos said firmly. "I promised that I would get Sunburst home safely. I don't break my promises."

_/Promises are very important to Carlos. Some may say promises are just pretty words spoken to the air and have no value whatsoever. I trust Carlos when he says promises are important. They're meant to be kept. If you make a promise, you're placing trust in the people you're making that promise to. Trust is a very valuable thing. To break it is to lose faith in that person. It can even be considered betrayal, depending on the promise. Ever since Carlos vanished, I've kept my promises. Every last one…/_

Mark smiled. "Good choice," he said.

"How can we help?" Lucar asked.

"First, we have to make a plan that takes in any possible traps Kadar may have set up for us. We have to be prepared for anything and everything. Understood?" the Lucario asked.

"Yeah!" the three members of Team Legend nodded as one.

"We have to plan quickly. Night will be falling soon." Mark said.

"Can't we sneak in the way you did when you spied on Kadar, Mark?" Teri asked.

"I didn't essentially sneak in, Teri. I slipped past the guards and climbed the palace walls. I watched him through the windows." Mark corrected. "I haven't found a proper way inside yet."

"Oh," the Buizel lowered his head sadly.

Sunburst tapped her chin before gasping. "What about Darnell's tunnels?"

"Darnell? The Sandslash?" Mark asked.

"Oh yeah! I remember!" Teri realized. "Sunburst and I used to wander through them. He built secret entrances into the palace with those tunnels! It was an emergency escape route system before the tunnels under the main floor collapsed."

"That's right," Mark muttered. "King Ty had the tunnels sealed off after that. Darnell could unseal them."

"Those tunnels even lead to the dungeons. We can get mom and dad out." Sunburst said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Carlos cried.

"Not so fast!" Mark said quickly. "Kadar knows about the tunnels, too. Darnell was supposed to be thrown in the dungeons, too, but he fled. Nobody knows where he is right now."

"You're kidding!" Sunburst cried.

"Kadar knows the palace defenses inside and out. He wouldn't be foolish enough to allow us entry through the underground tunnels. We'll need to find Darnell first. Then we can free King Ty and Queen Floe."

"What will we do about Kadar?" Lucar asked. "Just freeing the king and queen won't stop him."

"You're right," Mark nodded. "After we free King Ty and Queen Floe, we'll have to arrest Kadar. We'll likely have to fight him in order to arrest him, though. We may even be pitted against Tooth and Claw."

Teri shivered, spooked. "W-we can b-beat them, r-right?" he asked.

"Both will be hard to beat, but I'm certain we stand a fair chance against him." Mark reassured. "For now, we must find Darnell and unseal those tunnels."

"Right," Sandra nodded. "Carlos, do you feel good enough to do this?"

"Of course!" the Pikachu cried. "Let's go! We've got to make sure Sunburst stays safe! That's still our mission, after all."

"Yeah," Sandra agreed. _Even if Carlos might not like me, that doesn't mean I can't still like him. I'll just love from a distance, like a secret admirer._

"Then let us start searching." Mark stood up and walked to the door, picking up his Bone Club along the way.

Just as the Lucario opened the door, he froze as a shadow crossed the ground. Suddenly, paper began drifting to the ground. Mark gently eased the door the rest of the way open and looked up, gasping as he saw the Skarmory Patrol circling the skies above the entire kingdom. Clutched in their talons were dozens of sheets of paper which they released, allowing them to fall to the sandy ground far below. Timing himself carefully, he reached out and snagged one of the papers before closing the door behind him.

"What is it?" Teri asked. "What's going on out there, Mark?"

"Apparently, Kadar is already making his move. He knows we're still in the kingdom." Mark growled, his eyes scanning the paper before handing it to Carlos. "There's a message there for you. Thrax and his goons are back in the palace…and they've pulled quite a nasty trick.

The Pikachu hesitantly took the message and began to read it aloud so Lucar would know what it said. "'Team Legend, we have captured your friends from Treasure Town. If you ever want to see them again, bring the princess to the palace at midnight tomorrow night and surrender. If you refuse, your friends will become Tooth and Claw's…next meal.'"

Sandra whimpered, terrified. Lucar clenched his fists in fury.

Carlos continued, swallowing back a lump of fear in his throat. "'Remember, your deadline is midnight tomorrow night. Fail to arrive and your friends will die. Hand over the princess and you'll be free to go. Make the right choice…'"

"Is that all?" Sunburst asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

"They have to be lying," Sandra whispered. "Joy, Michael, Luv, Zuzu, and Blackie _couldn't_ be here! It's got to be a trick!"

"Treasure Town? That explains what Tooth and Claw were doing at the sea!" Mark cried. "Why didn't I realize it sooner?"

"We've got to save them!" Carlos declared.

"We have to find Darnell first and free King Ty and Queen Floe," Mark argued. "We'll try to save your friends after that. We have until midnight tomorrow night to act!"

_/It wouldn't take as long as up until tomorrow night for us to act. Our friends' lives hung in the balance…even more than we actually thought. If we hadn't acted fast, they wouldn't be here today. But they are, despite the difficulties we went through to free them./_

Carlos reluctantly nodded. _Don't worry, guys,_ he thought. _We'll save you!_

"Night is falling. We only have an hour to search for Darnell." Mark said. "If we can't find him tonight, we'll have to search for him tomorrow."

"And if we don't find him?" Sunburst asked.

"Then we either unseal the tunnels ourselves or find another way in," Mark replied.

"Right," the Quilava nodded. "Then we should begin searching."

Mark nodded and headed toward the door, opening it. The Skarmory Patrol had drifted to the western part of the kingdom, still dropping the papers. The ground was covered in them. A single swipe of his Bone Club blew some away from the door, allowing the group to exit without getting paper stuck to their paws.

The Lucario led the way through the empty, paper-covered streets. They peered into abandoned buildings, checked large burrows in the sand, and searching for drag marks in the sand. They found nothing. Darnell had hidden his presence well…if he was still in the kingdom, that is.

As they neared the palace, Teri stopped and looked toward it. Kadar's message still echoed in his mind.

"_Your deadline is midnight tomorrow night. Fail to arrive and your friends will die. Hand over the princess and you'll be free to go."_

_These guys went through so much trouble to bring Sunburst home,_ Teri thought, stopping. The group carried on, not noticing that the Buizel was no longer following. _Now their friends might die because of our kingdom's problem. I can't let that happen!_

Glancing back toward the group to see if any of them had noticed he was gone, he sighed in relief as they kept moving. Turning, he dashed down the street toward the palace. Slipping past the Aggron guards was easy, especially since they were already half-asleep. Pulling a loose brick away from the outer wall of the palace, he slipped inside and left the brick in front of his secret entrance.

He never noticed a certain electric mouse watching him from behind one of the sleeping Aggron guards. _What is he up to?_ Carlos wondered.

Deciding to find out for himself, Carlos crept toward the hole and slipped inside.


	43. Chapter 42: Darnell to the Rescue

Chapter 42: Darnell to the Rescue

Teri peered out into the open corridor, waiting for a group of Sandshrew to turn the far corner before he darted out. Nose twitching, he followed the scent of Tooth and Claw until he reached the giant double doors that led to the throne room. The door was left ajar and he could hear voices inside.

_Listen or not?_ Teri thought, tapping his chin.

Finally coming to a decision, he peered into the crack to see who was inside. He could just barely see Kadar on his throne. A Toxicroak and a Glaceon were there, too. Teri could just barely spot part of a Staraptor's wing not far from the Glaceon. It vanished, signaling the Flying-type had been pointing to something…or just making gestures while it talked.

Pressing his ear to the door, the Buizel listened in on the conversation.

"…doesn't look like he remembers us," the Toxicroak said. "Quite a shame. It took me forever to break him after I got my hands on him."

"He was really stubborn at first," the Staraptor added. "Noisy, too! Right, boss?"

"Yeah," the Toxicroak nodded.

"So, what will you do with him? He's your henchman, Thrax…or _was_." Kadar said.

"He refuses to listen to me now. I've got no use for a disobedient brat like him." Thrax said, crossing his arms. "Throw him in with the rest of those Team Legend guys. He's pretty much one of them now."

"If you say so," Kadar muttered.

The Kadabra waved his hand and two sets of heavy footsteps started coming toward the door. It took Teri a split-second to come up with a plan. He dove against the nearest wall and held his breath as the double doors were heaved open. Inching to the side a bit, he bit back a gasp at the sight he saw.

Tooth and Claw were leaving the throne room, just as Teri had realized the moment he heard those thundering footsteps. Held between them was a limp and bloody Pikachu, jet black in color. Teri had never seen a Pikachu quite like it before.

_Is he one of Carlos' teammates?_ Teri wondered. _I never knew there could be black Pikachu._

The massive pair made their way down the hall and toward the staircase leading to the dungeon. Teri slipped free of the door and ran after them, keeping to the shadows so as not to be seen by the inhabitants of the throne room or by Tooth and Claw. The Buizel smiled.

_This is too easy! Mark made it sound like this would be really hard, but it's really easy!_ Teri thought.

_/Looks can be deceiving, Teri. They might not see you enter, but they're guaranteed to see you leave. My sister told me to never get cocky and forget about even the smallest details of both my current surroundings and my mission. It only takes one slip-up to cause a huge disaster./_

Just as Teri whipped around the next corner after the pair of monstrous Pokemon, Snowflake's ear twitched and she looked out toward the hall as a group of Aggron began to close the door. The Glaceon looked at Thrax and frowned. The Toxicroak smirked.

Carlos noted the looks Snowflake and Thrax exchanged as he slowly trailed after Teri, hiding in the shadow of a massive Typholsion statue. _Did Snow see Teri?_ he wondered. _I better hurry and get him out of here. This is too dangerous without back-up! What is Teri thinking?_

Teri kept moving, dodging around any Sandshrew guards he came across and doing his best to keep Tooth and Claw in sight. He lost sight of them for only two seconds as they entered a large room around a corner. The Buizel followed, only to skid to a stop. His jaw nearly dropped in shock.

"Where did they go?" he almost cried, barely making it a whisper. "They can't have gone downstairs that fast!"

Teri searched the whole room until he heard the all-too-familiar clanking of an Aggron guard approaching. There was nowhere to hide. The Buizel searched desperately, eyes wide in fear. He was trapped.

As the Steel-type turned the corner, a hand clapped over Teri's mouth and dragged him backward…straight through the wall behind him! He would've screamed if he could. He could still hear the clanking of the guard as it circled the room. The sound soon faded as the guard left. When the sound completely disappeared, Teri found himself shoved out of the wall and back into the room.

Teri gasped for breath, clutching his chest as he stood on his hands and knees on the stone floor. "Wh… What was that?" he wheezed.

"There are no stairs here, Buizel," a voice said.

Teri turned back to the wall he had been dragged into but saw nothing. "Hello? Wh… Who are you?" he whimpered, shivering in fright.

"A friend, despite what my reputation may say." the voice replied. "As I was saying, there are no stairs here. It's an underground lift. See the square of darker bricks at the center of the room?"

"Yeah," Teri nodded.

"Tooth and Claw are incapable of taking the stairs to the dungeon because they are too narrow for Pokemon of their size," the voice continued. "An underground lift made by Darnell the Sandslash, usually used by the Aggron guards, is the only way they can enter and exit the dungeons. It's a slow but less noticeable way to get to the dungeons."

"Awesome!" Teri cried, only to clap his paws over his mouth at the loud noise he had made. "Oops…"

"Don't bother," the voice said. "There's a catch to this lift, though. Only Pokemon exceeding 100 lbs can use it. You'd have to bring a lot of friends with you if you hope to use it, Buizel."

"No need to worry there," Teri grinned. "Mark is more than enough to make it work. He's over 100 lbs all by himself!"

"Lucky you," the voice complimented. It paused before speaking again. "You're not alone here. It's best that I leave now. Good luck with your business here, Buizel."

"Teri," Teri corrected. "Who are you? Better yet, _what_ are you?"

The voice didn't reply right away. "…Somebody who fled this country long ago," it finally said.

"Wait! Who are you?" Teri pleaded.

He never got a reply. The voice was gone.

_/I'm sure you all know who this is. If you don't, you'll know soon enough. Even a criminal can turn over a new leaf, however temporary it is. How long will this guy's new leaf last, though?/_

Carlos poked his head into the room to see Teri staring at the far wall. "Teri! What are you doing?" the Pikachu demanded.

"Carlos! You're here!" Teri cried, whirling around to face him. "How did you get in here?"

"I followed you," Carlos replied. "What are you doing in here?"

"Trying to save your friends," Teri said. "You brought Princess Sunburst home. I just wanted to repay the favor."

"Look, we've got to get out of here! Snowflake, the Glaceon that was with Thrax in the throne room… I think she saw you following Tooth and Claw." Carlos explained.

"No way!" Teri shook his head. "She couldn't have seen me. I was too fast, too careful, too—"

"No! You don't know these guys like I do!" Carlos argued, grabbing Teri's shoulders. "Sure, I didn't know Snowflake was with Thrax until this morning but I know her well enough. She and Thrax know you're here! Raptor won't be far behind and Kadar may already know we're here! We've got to leave! Now!"

"Leave? But the party's just starting, baby," an all-too-familiar voice chuckled from the room's entrance.

Carlos looked over his shoulder and glared. "Thrax,"

Teri cowered behind the Pikachu, suddenly very afraid. _Carlos was right! I _was_ seen!_

"So there was another one," Snowflake noted. "I only saw one, the Buizel. It looks like Carlos snuck in, too."

"Snowflake's got good eyes! Of course she'd see you sneaking around!" Raptor laughed. "Don't bother trying to free your pals! You'll be joining them soon!"

"Not if we can help it!" Carlos growled, sparks jumping from his cheeks.

"Carlos, I've got an idea how we can get out of here!" Teri suddenly said.

"Well, make it fast!" the Pikachu barked.

Thrax lunged, lone hand-claw glowing bright purple with Poison Jab. Raptor took to the sky, readying a Wing Attack. Snowflake summoned chunks of ice around her, preparing her Ice Shard. All three attacks came to a halt as a massive shadow loomed over all three criminals. Raptor dropped from the air, his wings locking up in terror.

"SURF'S UP, GUYS!" Teri shouted.

The Buizel kept a tight grip on Carlos' left arm as the pair rode atop of the massive wave Teri had created with Surf. Snowflake turned to flee, leaving her male comrades behind. That didn't save her, unfortunately. All three were swamped with the attack, along with a ton of Sandshrew and Aggron unfortunate enough to be in the wave's path. When it finally slowed to a stop, Teri and Carlos were the only ones left standing in the flooded first floor of the palace.

"Wow…" Carlos said.

"That was totally awesome!" Teri cried, his grin taking up nearly half his face. "Let's do it again!"

"Not in this lifetime, brat," Thrax wheezed, dragging himself up on his hands and knees.

"I hate water!" Raptor sputtered, coughing up water.

Snowflake was the first to get up completely, her gaze murderous. Teri and Carlos tried to flee, only to have the water at their feet freeze them to the floor. Their struggling did not free them. When Thrax and Raptor succeeded in getting back up, the trio stalked over to the troublemaking duo and readied to attack.

"Carlos, I'm really sorry! This is all my fault!" Teri instantly cried.

"We're not down yet! It's not over!" Carlos argued.

"Yes, it is!" Teri cried, tears springing up in his eyes. "We shouldn't have come here! I thought I could save your friends but Mark was right! I'm just a stupid kid! What could I have done?"

"Nothing at all, baby," Thrax said simply, raising his glowing hand-claw. "You two are finished. Poiso—"

Two pairs of long white claws erupted from the stone below the Toxicroak's feet, two claws on each side on him. Snowflake and Raptor jumped back in fright. Thrax blinked down at the claws, confused.

"What the…?" Thrax muttered, lowering his claw.

He never had the chance to shout as the claws suddenly grabbed his ankles and dragged him down, the stone falling away and leaving Thrax up to his neck in sand. Raptor screamed while Snowflake just watched, unable to comprehend just what had happened to her boss. Thrax struggled, only to find himself unable to get free. He was stuck in the sand.

"What the heck? Grrr!" Thrax struggled some more, making no progress. He glared at his two unmoving minions. "Don't just stand there! Get me out!" he roared.

"Oh! Right, Boss!" Raptor dashed forward, Snowflake at his heels.

As the pair frantically tried to dig their boss free, the stone below Carlos and Teri's feet began to sink into the sand below. Carlos struggled to get loose of the ice around his feet. Teri just stood there, quietly accepting his fate. Of course, the fate that Teri envisioned was nowhere near what their fate really would be.

The twin claws erupted from the sand and easily shattered the ice trapping Carlos and Teri's feet. Not hesitating for even a second, the pair leaped off of the sinking stone and onto more stable flooring. Out of the patch of sand that engulfed the two stone blocks came a spiky brown and yellow creature that Carlos had never seen before.

"You okay, Teri? What are you doing in here? It's not safe!" the creature scolded.

"Darnell!" Teri cried. "I knew you hadn't left! I knew you were still here!"

"Wait! That's Darnell the Sandslash?" Carlos yelped, looking at the creature a second time.

"Got that right," the Sandslash nodded, climbing out of the sand and onto the stone floor of the palace. "I've been hiding out here since King Ty and Queen Floe were taken to the dungeons."

"We're trying to free them, Darnell!" Teri explained. "We need you to—"

"Tell me later," Darnell interrupted. "Looks like that Toxicroak's back on his own two feet again."

Thrax dragged himself out of the sand, gasping for breath. Snowflake and Raptor stood back, knowing that their boss was very angry. The Toxicroak stood up, his hand-claw glowing again. He glared at Darnell, gritting his teeth.

"So, Kadar's little escapee came back. Nice of you to come willingly, baby," Thrax said. "You three can keep each other company in the dungeons."

"I'm afraid that's one place we won't be going just yet, Thrax." Darnell said.

"Who said you had a choice, baby?" Thrax shouted, lunging. "Poison Jab!"

"Get behind me!" Darnell ordered, looking at Teri and Carlos.

The pair dove behind the Sandslash and watched as Darnell curled up into a spiky brown ball. Thrax's fist crashed into the spikes, drawing blood. Thrax gritted his teeth, refusing to give up. He launched punch after punch at the spiky ball, slowing pushing it back toward the sand patch Darnell had crawled out of.

"Jump into the sand! Quickly!" Darnell ordered, not daring to uncurl.

"What?" Carlos yelped.

"Do it! We'll be safe!" Teri reassured.

Carlos took a deep breath and dove into the sand patch, sinking into it in seconds. _How long will I sink? What if my breath doesn't last long enough? What if—_

Carlos' worries ceased when he stopped sinking…and started falling! It only lasted two seconds before he crashed to the sandy floor below. Opening his eyes, the Pikachu realized he had landed in an underground tunnel. He barely started getting up when Teri fell from the sandy ceiling, landing on Carlos' back.

"YOW!" Carlos screamed. "Get off!"

"Sorry!" Teri rolled off of Carlos, getting up to shake the sand out of his fur.

"Look out below!" a voice echoed from the sandy ceiling. It was Darnell.

"Move it!" Teri cried, shoving Carlos away before running further down the tunnel himself.

Darnell, still curled up in a spiky ball, fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. He uncurled and lay flat on his back, gasping for breath. "Ugh…" he groaned. "That hurt…"

"Darnell! Are you okay?" Teri asked, dashing to the Sandslash's side.

"As good as I'll ever be," Darnell muttered, sitting up.

"Look at that," Carlos pointed out a few spikes on Darnell's back. They were bent and twisted out of their usual shape.

"Holy! Did Thrax do that, Darnell?" Teri asked, suddenly very afraid.

"Yeah," the Sandslash nodded. "I've never met anyone who could attack my spikes so much and not run off immediately. The only other Pokemon who could damage my spikes this bad is Mark. Thrax sure was determined to catch us."

Carlos looked up at the ceiling, seeing only solid sand. "How did we fall from the ceiling like that? We sank, right?" he asked.

"Quicksand," Darnell explained. "They're natural occurrences here. They dot most of the ground below the palace and serve as entrances to these tunnels. My kind can pretty much swim through quicksand while you guys can only sink through it."

"Wait! That means Thrax can follow us!" Carlos cried.

"Yeah," Darnell nodded, standing up. "Come on! We can block the tunnel ahead in case he decides to come down here."

The trio dashed down the tunnel. Darnell came to a stop and dragged a stone brick from the wall, fitting it into place to block the tunnel. He used a second brick a few yards further down to block another section of the tunnel. The trio walked for a few more minutes before stopping to rest.

"Hey! He can't leave if he comes down here, right?" Carlos asked. "If he follows us, he's trapped."

"Kadar will send the Sandshrew guards to bring him back up," Darnell said simply. "So, you came looking for me for a reason. What do you want?"

"We need you to unblock the underground tunnels, Darnell." Teri explained. "We're gonna use them to get to the dungeons and free King Ty, Queen Floe, and Carlos' friends."

"I'm guessing you're Carlos, right?" Darnell guessed, looking at the Pikachu. "I've never seen you around here before."

"He's the leader of Team Legend, an Exploration Team from Treasure Town," Teri said. "He and his team brought Princess Sunburst back to us. Tooth and Claw kidnapped the rest of Carlos' team, though. If we don't give Princess Sunburst to Kadar by midnight tomorrow, he'll kill Carlos' friends!"

"Is that why you two snuck in? To save your friends?" Darnell asked.

"That's what Teri broke in for," Carlos corrected. "I just followed him to see what he was up to."

"We certainly can't hand over the princess," Darnell muttered. "And we can't let Kadar kill anyone. It will stain the name of the royal family of the Northern Desert Kingdom for centuries to come."

"That's why we need you to unblock the tunnels! We can use them to sneak into the dungeons!" Teri explained.

"Are you the only ones doing this?" Darnell asked.

"No," Carlos shook his head. "My two teammates are in on this."

"So is Mark and Urbana!" Teri added.

"Ah, good old Urbana," Darnell said, smiling. "I knew she wouldn't stand following anyone but Queen Floe's orders. Alright, I'm in! Where are we going?"

"To the old shack where Princess Sunburst and I would play," Teri said.

_/Do I sense a little fondness between Urbana and Darnell here? Maybe… You'll find out later on if what I'm hinting at is true or not./_

"Then let's get a move on! Follow me!" Darnell headed off down the tunnel, leading the way through the labyrinth of tunnels he had created beneath the Northern Desert Kingdom so many years ago.

_One hour later…_

"Here we are," Darnell said, stopping at the end of the tunnel. "Just need to move this and the tunnels will be open for usage."

"Finally!" Teri cried.

Blocking off the tunnel from the outside world was a large boulder. Digging his claws into the sand to the boulder's left, he slowly began to shift it aside until it was hidden in the sandy wall of the tunnel. Gasping for breath, Darnell stepped forward into a sandy cavern. A tunnel on the ceiling revealed the starry night sky to the trio.

"Now what?" Carlos asked. "How do we get up there?"

"Hop on," Darnell said, dropping onto all fours. "I'll give you a boost. When you get out, get back to your friends and tell them the tunnels are open again."

"Won't you come with us?" Teri asked, crawling onto the Sandslash's head.

"No," Darnell said sadly. "I'll stay here and guard the tunnels. Come back in the morning. You two have had a long night. You'll need all your strength if you want to free your friends and overthrow Kadar. It won't be easy, not at all."

"We know," Carlos said, hopping on Darnell's head and standing by Teri.

"Hold on," Darnell warned.

Standing back up on his hind legs, the Sandslash dug his claws into the tunnel entrance and began to climb vertically up the tunnel. When he reached the top, he poked his head out and allowed the two smaller Pokemon to hop off of him. He smiled at them both.

"Good luck," he wished. "See you both in the morning."

"See you tomorrow, Darnell," Teri said.

"Thank you," Carlos added.

"No problem," Darnell replied. "I do what I can around here nowadays."

Carlos and Teri dashed down the sandy street, making their way back to the shack where they and their friends were staying. Darnell jumped back down the tunnel and into the cavern below. Standing up, he sighed as he faced a shadowy figure leaning against a nearby wall.

"Why did you help them? Why have you come back?" Darnell demanded.

"One of those two helped me out of a jam," the shadowy figure replied. "I came back to right the wrongs of my past, however accidental they were."

"They'll kill you," Darnell said firmly. "Shappa and Manzur will kill you, Manzur especially. He will kill you on sight."

"I came to apologize," the figure said, pleading evident in his voice.

"You killed their son!" Darnell shouted.

"It was an accident!" the figure yelled back. "I didn't _mean_ to kill him! It was an accident! Honest…"

The cavern grew quiet. Neither Pokemon spoke. The shadowy figure soon turned, phasing through the sand. Darnell sat down, staring up at the starry sky above him.

"It doesn't matter whether it was an accident or if you meant to kill him," Darnell muttered. "Manzur in unforgiving and Shappa is vengeful. Even if you help us now, they will try to avenge their son. You were better off staying away…Dusk."

He closed his eyes and sighed again. It would be a long night…


	44. Chapter 43: BackUp Arrives

Chapter 43: Back-Up Arrives

Thrax growled angrily as he dropped into the empty tunnel below the quicksand ceiling, not seeing his targets anywhere. A few feet ahead of him, blocking the tunnel, was one of the stone blocks that had sunk into the quicksand due to Darnell's attacks. Thrax stalked up to it, golden eyes narrowing with rage.

Pulling back his fist, he crashed it into the stone block with all his might. The stone budged a few centimeters. The Toxicroak panted for breath before throwing another punch at the stone. It didn't move this time.

Thrax continued punching the block, taking all of his anger out on it. _How could they have escaped? I had those two brats where I wanted them! Snowflake even froze their feet so they couldn't run! But they still escaped!_

He could feel blood running down his injured knuckles, but he didn't care. He kept throwing punches, imagining that the block was the Sandslash that had interfered in the capturing of Carlos and the pesky Buizel that had been with him. Punching those spikes had hurt but Thrax was tough enough to withstand a little pain.

…Okay, so it hadn't been a _little_ pain. It had actually hurt a lot. Not that Thrax would ever admit it.

"Thrax, stop. You're getting nowhere," Kadar said, glaring at the Poison/Fighting-type's back.

"I'm not letting them get away," Thrax growled, continuing his punching.

"They're long gone by now, Thrax. All you're achieving is tearing apart your knuckles." Kadar said. "If you don't stop soon, you may lose your other claw."

"What does it matter, baby? No use in having it if there's no one to stab with it." Thrax replied. His punches began to slow as his rage lessened.

"Don't worry. They'll be back, I can guarantee that much." Kadar reassured. "If that Pikachu is anything like you said, then he'll be back. He'll fight to save his friends and Princess Sunburst's parents. You'll have your chance then."

Thrax didn't reply, ceasing his punching. Taking a few deep breaths, he turned around to face the Kadabra. Blood dripped from his bleeding knuckles, his lone hand-claw turning an even darker shade of red due to it.

"They'll be back tomorrow, right?" Thrax asked roughly.

"Of course," Kadar nodded. "Tomorrow night is their deadline. Mark will attack before then. Princess Sunburst will no doubt be joining in his attack, despite any arguments he may make. We can capture her then."

"Yeah," Thrax smirked.

"So, your former minion is now free to join that Pikachu's friends on Tooth and Claw's menu tomorrow night?" Kadar asked.

"I already told you, baby! Yeah!" Thrax barked. "He's not as scared or obedient as before. He's more confident and defiant. I've got no use for him."

"Pity," Kadar muttered. "Black Pikachu are so rare in this world."

"I've got something even rarer," Thrax said. "He's pretty quiet, but I think he'll be useful once he learns some proper attacks. Until then, I'll have to make due with his pal."

"And who would this rare Pokemon happen to be, may I ask?" Kadar inquired, his interest piqued.

Thrax grinned as he walked past Kadar. "Ever heard of an Umbreon with a blue ring on his forehead instead of a yellow one?"

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, Mark and Teri's hideout…_

"Hey, guys! We're back!" Teri announced, shoving the door of their hideout open. "And we fou—"

"Bone Rush!" Mark roared, lashing out with his Bone Club.

Carlos and Teri screamed, ducking instinctively. The Lucario, recognizing the screams, flew to a complete stop with his Bone Club hovering just inches above the pair's heads. Slowly raising the weapon, he sighed in relief before glaring at Teri.

"Where were you?" he growled, nudging them inside of the shack. Closing the door behind them, he turned his glare back on the Buizel. "One moment you're behind us and the next, both of you are gone!"

"I'm sorry! It was my fault!" Teri instantly said. "I wanted to repay Carlos and his friends for bringing Sunburst home, so I…"

"You what?" Mark asked, getting a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

"I…snuck into the palace," Teri finally said, looking at the ground. "I used the secret entrance hole that Sunburst and I made to sneak out of the castle. I wanted to free Carlos' friends."

Mark groaned before sitting down in front of the door. He rested a paw on his forehead. "Idiot, idiot, idiot…" He opened one red eye to look at Teri. "So, how badly did you mess up?"

"Really badly," Teri replied sadly. "Thrax and his goons saw me in the hall when I tried to follow Tooth and Claw to the dungeons. I lost track of Tooth and Claw, though."

"Thrax attacked, I'm guessing," Mark commented.

"After Carlos found me, yeah," Teri nodded. "I had to use Surf but we got away! Kinda…"

"What do you mean 'kinda'?" Mark asked. Then he realized something. "You used Surf?"

"Uh… Yeah," Teri said, suddenly feeling very afraid.

Mark glared at the ground, trembling with anger. "Teri, you know that Surf is the only technique that Kadar doesn't know you have, right?"

"Yeah," Teri nodded. He backed up a step.

"And, even with the knowledge that Surf may be our trump card in storming the palace tomorrow, you used it?" Mark barked.

"I forgot, okay? It was the only thing I could think of!" Teri cried. "I'm sorry!"

"Now Kadar will know that you're not just the useless Buizel that I've tried to make you look like to him!" Mark growled, tightening his grip on his Bone Club. "Now he knows that we can storm the castle with ease if we wanted to!"

"I'm sorry!" Teri shouted.

"That's enough!" Sunburst yelled, jumping between the two just as Mark raised his Bone Club. "We can't risk fighting each other now! If Teri says he forgot, then he forgot! We're not Celebi, Mark! We can't turn back time and remind him! We'll just have to change our attack plan a little."

"…Right," Mark lowered his Bone Club and looked apologetically at Teri. "I'm sorry. I was depending too much on Surf to win us this battle. Now Kadar will definitely prepare Tooth and Claw to fight us off,"

"I'm sorry that I forgot," Teri said.

"Now what?" Lucar asked. "We couldn't find that Sandslash, Darnell, anywhere."

"Oh! We found him!" Teri cried. "Right, Carlos?"

"Right!" the Pikachu nodded. "He saved us from Thrax and took us to the underground tunnels."

"Did he unseal them?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," Carlos said. "There's two blocks in the tunnel under one of the hallways leading to the dungeons. We had to stop Thrax from following us, but I'm sure Darnell could move them if we need to go through there."

"I also found another way to get to the dungeons, Mark! You know that empty room at the end of the third hall from the left of the throne room?" Teri asked. "That room with the big square on the floor made of darker stones. If any Pokemon weighing over 100 lbs stands on it, the floor becomes like a lift! It takes you straight to the dungeons!"

"Incredible, Teri! How did you find it?" Sunburst asked.

"Tooth and Claw vanished in that room. I got there too late to see them and I couldn't figure out where they went, but then…" Teri suddenly trailed off.

"Then what?" Sandra asked.

_How am I supposed to explain that a voice told me about the lift? They'll never believe me,_ the Buizel thought. Then an idea struck him. "When I was searching the room, one of the Aggron guards came in. I hid in a corner and watched him step on the dark square. It started to sink and the guard said something about checking up on King Ty and Queen Floe in the dungeons. Then I knew what it was!"

"Great job, Teri! We now have a back-up plan for how to get into the dungeons if tunneling in doesn't work." Mark said, patting the Buizel on the back.

"So, where's Darnell?" Sunburst asked.

"He's waiting for us at the tunnel's entrance," Carlos said. "He says for us to get a good night's sleep and to come back tomorrow morning. He'll wait for us."

"Good," Mark said, smiling. "Then we better get some sleep."

"Yeah," Sandra nodded, yawning. _I'm happy Carlos is safe,_ she thought. _I don't know what I'd do if anything bad happened to him._

Just as everyone was settling down and getting ready to fall asleep, three sharp knocks came from the door. Mark got up and readied his Bone Club, creeping toward the door. Just as he was about to open it, the Pokemon on the other side spoke.

"Mark, it's me! Urbana! I've got news from the Northern Desert! Open up, quickly!"

The Lucario yanked open the door and the Skarmory dove inside, golden eyes wide in terror. Mark spotted the rest of the Skarmory Patrol flying overhead, searching. He closed the door just as Kayle, the leader of the squadron, looked toward the shack.

He turned to look at Urbana, who was currently sprawled on the floor. He could see scratches and dents on her metallic body. She gasped for breath before shakily standing up. Sunburst placed her paws on the Skarmory's chest, holding her up.

"What happened?" Mark asked.

"Th-they found me out," Urbana explained. "They know I'm helping you now. The icy Eevee found me out. She caught your smell on me. The whole squadron turned on me and attacked. They're ordering an arrest for me."

"No way!" Teri cried.

"Also, just before I came back and was found out, I saw something in the Northern Desert." Urbana continued. "A group of Pokemon are coming toward the kingdom. There was a Pikachu, a Squirtle, and a big Squirtle. A fat Rhydon, a big Tangela, a fat Lickitung, a weird-looking Electabuzz, and a weird-looking Magmar were following them. Not far away from them, I saw a tall Combusken, a Feraligatr that looks smaller than Tooth, a weird-looking Grovyle, and a tall Kirlia. All of them are coming this way. They look like Exploration Teams to me! I saw the last two groups on posters before!"

"Team Heroes and Team Raptors, if your descriptions are correct," Mark muttered. "But who are the first three?"

"Brad, KC, and Luffy!" Sandra suddenly realized. "It must be them! If the big Squirtle is a Blastoise, then it must be them!"

"Who are they? Another Exploration Team?" Sunburst asked, looking at Carlos curiously.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "They're called Team Shell Shock. They're a Silver Rank Exploration Team."

"Must not be all that famous," Mark commented.

"But they're strong! They took out the Gabite in Labyrinth Cave, remember?" Sandra reminded, looking at Carlos.

"Yeah, when most of my attacks didn't even hurt him," Carlos said.

"But why are Team Shell Shock, Team Heroes, and Team Raptors coming here?" Sunburst asked.

"I think I know the answer," Lucar said. "They're coming to help save our teammates from Tooth and Claw. It looks like we'll be having some back-up soon."

"Awesome!" Teri cried.

"Then I hope your friends get here soon," Mark said. "Urbana, can you see if you can reach those other Exploration Teams and tell them our situation?"

"After I catch my breath," Urbana replied. "And once Kayle and the rest of the squadron are gone,"

"They should be gone in a few hours," Mark replied, peering out of one of the shack's small windows. "For now, we should all get some sleep. Wake me up when you leave, Urbana."

"Okay," the Skarmory nodded.

The whole group settled down, drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day, after all.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the dungeons…_

"Blackie!" Luv cried as she spotted Tooth and Claw approach their cell, the black Pikachu dangling in their grip.

The two giant Pokemon lumbered into view, coming to a stop in front of the cell. Claw yanked open the cell door while Tooth tossed Blackie inside. Claw slammed the cell door shut and locked it again. The pair left, their job completed.

Joy, her back having healed from most of the damage inflicted by being thrown into the chandelier, caught Blackie before he could hit the floor. Falling to her knees, the Raichu stared at the blood running from the many cuts on his body. The black Pikachu was, thankfully, unconscious.

"What did that sick freak _do_ to him?" Zuzu demanded.

"That's a lot of blood," Luv squeaked, backing up a step. "He's not going to die…is he?"

"No, he won't die," Joy said softly, cradling the unconscious black Pikachu in her arms.

"Blackie!" Michael cried, crawling toward the pair. He nuzzled his cheek against Blackie's blood-stained fur, pulling back when the Minun felt wetness seep into his cream-colored fur. "Why is Blackie wet?"

"Don't worry about it, Michael," Joy said, reaching out to wipe the blood off of the Minun's cheek.

The Minun yawned, snuggling against his mother figure. Luv and Zuzu soon fell asleep as well. Joy leaned against a wall, growing drowsy. Just as her eyes slid closed, Blackie began to stir.

The black Pikachu slowly sat up, teeth gritted against the pain shooting through his whole body. Lifting a paw, he could smell the blood on it.

_Why?_ he thought. _Why did Thrax do this to me? What did he mean about me being his minion? Could it be true?_

Not moving from his place in Joy's arms, the black Pikachu pulled out a small photograph. Blackie stared at it, remembering how Thrax gave it to him.

_Blackie coughed, blood staining his fur from the many cuts Thrax had given him. Unable to stand up anymore, he fell face-first to the ground. He felt Thrax nudge him with his foot slightly. Blackie groaned in pain._

"_It seems his memories are too far gone to be retrieved by physical measures," Snowflake said._

"_Meaning…?" Raptor asked._

"_Just beating him up won't make him remember us," the Glaceon said, rephrasing her previous statement._

"_Then he really _is _useless now," Thrax grumbled. "He can stay with his new friends on Tooth and Claw's dinner menu tomorrow. If he's not obedient or scared of me, then he's useless."_

"_What a pity," Snowflake said. "Not only has he forgotten us but he's forgotten his whole life up until Steam Cave. I guess he has no need for the photograph you stole from him back when you first kidnapped him, Thrax."_

"_Well, I've got no need for it. He can have it back, even if he doesn't remember it." Thrax let a photograph flutter to the ground in front of Blackie. "Raptor, grab him. We're going to see Kadar."_

"_Right, boss!" the Staraptor cried._

_Just before Raptor grabbed him, Blackie managed to snag the photo in one hand and shove it under his arm for safe keeping. He blacked out not long afterward from the pain and blood loss._

Blackie squinted to better see the photo in the darkness. He could make out two mouse-like Pokemon, one big and one small. The bigger one was holding the smaller one. Both were smiling happily.

As his vision adjusted, more details became apparent. The two Pokemon were standing in a forest clearing. The bigger one looked like a Raichu. The smaller one was a Pokemon that Blackie had never seen before.

It was about two heads shorter than the Raichu, though the big diamond-shaped ears made it only a head shorter. It had mitten-like paws and ragged-looking black markings around its neck. The tips of its ears were black and it had pink cheeks. The end of a black tail was just barely visible.

It looked strangely familiar to Blackie, almost like a far-off memory that he just couldn't grab hold of. No matter how much he wracked his limited memories, he couldn't find out where he remembered seeing such a Pokemon before.

Then he noticed something about the Raichu. It had a curl of fur on the top of its head.

_Is that…Joy?_ Blackie thought.

_In the Northern Desert, Floor 10…_

KC sighed as he fell to his knees in the sand, grateful that they were stopping for the night. "My feet hurt," he complained.

"At least you don't have to walk around in the sun with fur." Brad pointed out. "I thought I was going to die."

"You're fine," Luffy said, patting his two smaller teammates on their heads. "At least it gets cooler at night."

"It can get really cold really fast at night in the desert." Rhyperior commented, sinking to the sandy ground. "Tangrowth, Lickilicky, are you both okay? I'm sure this heat must be horrid on you both."

"I'm fine," Tangrowth said, sitting down beside her leader.

"Well, I'm not! I'm sweating buckets over here!" Lickilicky cried, causing a minor tremor as he plopped to the ground. "Why did we have to come too?"

"Because that Feraligatr and Tyranitar are far stronger than normal members of their species," Rhyperior said. "There might be more."

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Electivire looked at his leader for confirmation.

"Right," Rhyperior nodded.

Electivire looked at Magmortar, who had a big smile on his face. "What's with you? Why are you smiling?" he demanded, punching the Fire-type's arm playfully.

Magmortar looked at his Electric-type friend and sighed. "This heat is heaven to me. I can understand why the rest of you are complaining, though. It's the same for me when it's too cold of an environment."

"How did I know you liked this place?" Electivire chuckled.

"Arceus knows," Magmortar replied sarcastically.

"I'm surprised," a voice said from the entrance of the empty room. "So I'm not the only one pursuing those supersized Pokemon."

"Horus Blazer," Rhyperior said, turning to face the Blaziken. His words had a sharp edge to them. "What an honor it is to see the leader of the Diamond-ranked Team Raptors."

"Hello, Rhyperior," Horus greeted. He entered the room, his three teammates following him. "So, you're going after that monstrous Feraligatr and Tyranitar too?"

"Of course! It's an Exploration Team's duty to rescue Pokemon, even fellow Exploration Teams, from danger." Rhyperior said. "Why are you here, anyway? I thought you were training in Mystery Jungle."

"Good to see you're back, Garde," Tangrowth said.

Garde Devoir, a Gardevoir and well-known lover of Horus, smiled at the Grass-type. "It's good to see you, too," she said, smiling kindly.

The other two members of Team Raptors sat down near their two leaders. Geckon Jukai, a Sceptile, chewed nervously on a twig as he eyed Magmortar. If a fight broke out between Horus and Rhyperior, there wouldn't be much he could do if Magmortar got involved.

Croc Odylius Dylian, a Feraligatr commonly known as Croc O. Dylian, was sat down by Grass-type teammate. He glared at Rhyperior, daring the Gold-rank Exploration Team leader to try anything. He could take Rhyperior out in one hit if he wanted to.

"Uh… Maybe we should all get some sleep. It's been a long day." Luffy suggested.

"Our Blastoise friend is right. Let's all get some shut-eye." Horus agreed.

Team Shell Shock fell asleep first. Horus, Garde, and Geckon of Team Raptors drifted off soon after. Team Heroes fell asleep after a bit. Croc stayed awake, guarding his fellow Exploration Teams from any midnight dangers.

_Why did Rhyperior have to come?_ Croc wondered.


	45. Chapter 44: Storming the Palace

Chapter 44: Storming the Palace

"Carlos, wake up! Hurry!"

"Huh?" Carlos blinked, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he sat up. "What's going on?"

Sunburst looked from him to Mark, who was shaking Teri awake. "Mark says we have to go. Darnell's waiting."

"What time is it?" the Pikachu yawned.

"It's almost noon," Sunburst replied, smiling. _He looks so cute when he yawns,_ she thought.

"Noon?" Carlos yelped, jumping to his feet. "You're joking!"

"Nope," the Quilava shook her head. "You and Teri were really tuckered from sneaking into the palace last night. Mark decided to let you sleep in, but we've got to get going now."

"Kadar already knows that Darnell's helping us," Lucar said. "He'll be ready for any underground attacks."

"He also knows about Teri's Surf," Sandra added.

"Oh, yeah," Carlos nodded.

"Regardless of whether he knows about Surf or not, there isn't much he can do to combat it." Mark commented, walking toward the group with a sleepy Teri in tow. "This kingdom reveres Ground, Rock, Steel, and Fire-type Pokemon above all. Water-type attacks are capable of taking out a majority of the palace's guards."

"A majority? Why not all of the palace's guards?" Sandra asked.

"Even though this kingdom is very weak to Water-types, King Ty and Queen Floe have come up with a solution to combat any Water-type foes that may threaten the kingdom." Mark explained. "There are a fair number of Manectric and Luxray guards in the palace. We must be on the look-out for those."

"Knowing Kadar, he probably imprisoned Shappa and Manzur to ensure there wouldn't be a revolt." Sunburst said.

"Shappa? Manzur?" Carlos repeated.

"They're the leaders of the Electric-type guards," Teri replied, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "They're a pair of Manectric and are the strongest Electric-types in the kingdom."

"Their oldest son would've been training to be a guard, too." Mark muttered, stopping in front of the door.

"Would've…?" Sandra repeated. "Why isn't he?"

"Because…he's dead," Mark finally said. "He was killed by a Banette while he was out exploring beyond the kingdom's walls. Shappa and Manzur arrived too late to save him. The Banette escaped, though I heard he was captured at one point but escaped."

"A Banette?" Carlos repeated. _Could it be…?_ Then he remembered what Sheriff Magnezone told him after Dusk was arrested.

"_BZZZT! Dusk the Banette was a highly-elusive criminal with many charges placed against him! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone explained. "BZZZT! His previous bounty was a mere 4000 poke in accordance to his thievery and kidnapping sprees. His bounty jumped after he killed the son of a pair of Manectric serving the Northern Desert Kingdom's royal family. BZZZT!"  
Dusk hung his head instantly at the mention of the murder. "…If you're going to execute me, do it already," he hissed. "Don't keep those Manectric in suspense."  
"BZZZT! Your crime does not warrant execution, as much as those Manectric approved of it. You'll be taken to prison and will carry out your sentence as all criminals do. BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said._

Sandra and Lucar looked at Carlos. The Pikachu frowned and nodded.

"What? Do you know something about the Banette that killed Marion?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "He kidnapped Sandra and then tried to kidnap me. We caught him and put him in jail. He broke out of prison with a ton of other prisoners during that mass break-out." _A break-out that I caused,_ he mentally added.

"So, he is free again," Mark muttered. "I had hoped he would remain imprisoned indefinitely."

"Look, we don't have time for this! We have to save my parents and Carlos' friends, Mark!" Sunburst cried.

"Right," the Lucario agreed. "Darnell can help defend against any Manectric or Luxray guards that we come across. If we're lucky, Darnell may be able to convince the Sandshrew and Sandslash guards to revolt against Kadar. They can keep the other guards on the lower levels busy while we head for the upper floors. Kadar will definitely be upstairs, waiting for us to attack."

"So, we're using Darnell's tunnels to get in. Are we getting out with them, too?" Lucar asked.

"Most likely, yes," Mark nodded. "Come. It is time we got moving. Kayle and the Skarmory Patrol are gone for the moment. Urbana may have led them away."

"Hey, where _is_ Urbana?" Carlos asked, realizing the Skarmory was no longer among them.

"Going to help your friends get here," Mark replied, opening the shack door. "We could use their help, seeing as they have three Water-types and a pair of Fire-types to combat most of the guards. She'll lead them here as quickly as she can."

"I hope Kayle doesn't catch her," Sunburst whispered. "After everything she's done for us…"

"Urbana may be hurt, but she's not weak. She's one of the fastest Skarmory in the kingdom. She won't be easy to catch, even for her former patrolmen. She'll be fine," Mark reassured, patting Sunburst on the head. "Teri, Carlos, lead the way."

"Right!" Teri dashed out the door immediately. "This way, this way!"

Carlos and the Buizel ran neck-and-neck toward the tunnel Darnell unsealed. The Sandslash was waiting for them in the shadows by the opened tunnel, smiling upon seeing his friends. The group came to a stop in front of the tunnel and Darnell stepped out to greet them.

"Darnell," Mark said.

"Mark," Darnell greeted.

"You're okay!" Sunburst cried, hugging the Sandslash. "I knew you wouldn't leave!"

"I didn't want to," Darnell corrected. "This place has been my home for years. Besides, Kadar isn't staying in control for much longer."

"Right!" Teri agreed. "We're so going to throw that dumb Kadabra off of King Ty's throne!"

"I should hope so," the Sandslash said. He looked at Mark. "So, what's the plan?"

"We're going to take down Kadar and then free King Ty and Queen Floe," the Lucario replied.

"Kadar could use them as hostages to ensure his escape if he thinks he's lost," Darnell pointed out. "Maybe we should free the King and Queen first. Or perhaps we should split up and do both tasks."

"How about Darnell saves the King and Queen while we fight Kadar?" Sandra suggested.

"That might work," Lucar said. "We'll need Mark to help defeat Tooth and Claw. Sandslash are pretty heavy. Mark, you said something about making the Sandshrew guards revolt."

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "Darnell, could you convince the Sandshrew guards to help us out? You were their leader, after all."

"Perhaps," Darnell muttered. "What would they need to do?"

"Cause a revolt on the lower levels," Mark replied. "Then you can take two or three of them to activate the lift to the dungeons."

"You know about that?" Darnell yelped.

"Teri found it," Carlos said.

"Yeah!" the Buizel nodded, smiling. "I never knew that room was actually a lift to the dungeons!"

"King Ty's father had me built it especially for the larger and heavier guards, like the Aggron." Darnell admitted.

"Well, it'll be serving our purposes now." Mark said. "You and a couple of Sandshrew can take it to the dungeons and free King Ty and Queen Floe. The other guard leaders should also be down there. They could help get their guards under control."

"Understood," Darnell nodded. "Then we best hurry. Where on the first floor should I leave you?"

"Kadar's throne room," Mark requested. "It's bound to be empty since Kadar will be upstairs. We run the best chance of coming across your Sandshrew guards there, too."

"Right," the Sandslash agreed. "Just jump in and follow me."

Darnell jumped into the tunnel entrance, followed by Carlos and the others. Once they landed, the Sandslash led them through dozens of winding tunnels that never seemed to end. Carlos kept glancing at the quicksand ceiling, well aware that someone could drop from it by accident. That didn't happen, though.

When they came to the two stone blocks that Darnell had used to block Thrax's way the previous night, the Sandslash easily shoved it into the sandy walls for future use. When he moved the second one, he was shocked to discover blood on it and on the sand in front of it.

"That Toxicroak must've tried to come after us," Darnell noted.

"I guess Thrax was really mad that we got away," Carlos said.

"More than mad. Utterly furious, no doubt," Darnell corrected.

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded.

"How much farther?" Mark asked.

"Not far," Darnell replied, leading the way. "Only a few more minutes and we'll be there."

A few more minutes of walking passed before Darnell stopped. "It ought to be right above us," he said. "Mark, I'll take you up first. I can carry two of the little ones at a time but I'll have to carry you and the princess one at a time."

"Whatever works," Mark replied.

"Then let's go!" Sunburst cried. "We have to save my parents! Kadar's not getting away with this! Not if I can help it!"

"Darnell, let's make this fast," Mark suggested.

"Right," the Sandslash nodded. "Four trips up to the throne room, coming up!"

_In the Northern Desert, Floor 15…_

"HYAH!" Horus smashed his flaming fist into a Cacturne's side, knocking it out instantly.

"Take this!" Luffy launched a Hydro Pump at an advancing Lairon, sending it crashing into the far wall.

"And this!" Croc used Ice Fang to defeat the Lairon.

"RAAAH!" Rhyperior crashed his tail into a Rhyhorn's side, defeating it in one blow.

"Leaf Blade!" Geckon easily took down a trio of Trapinch.

The trio of Exploration Teams took a rest before advancing through the last floor of the mystery dungeon. They had been fighting through the Northern Desert for a day and a half now. Regardless, they ignored their exhaustion and pushed onward. Their comrades were in danger.

It was Garde who first heard the whistle of the wind through metallic wings. Magmortar and Horus readied to strike, intent on not allowing any wild Pokemon to take them out now. As the whistling grew louder, the pair grew tenser.

"…NOW!" Horus yelled.

The pair lunged around the corner and attacked. Their target screamed. "Don't hurt me!"

"Stop!" Tangrowth cried. "Magmortar, that's not a wild Pokemon! Wild Pokemon don't speak!"

"I noticed that when she screamed," Magmortar grumbled, backing off.

"We're terribly sorry about that," Horus apologized, backing off as well. "We thought you were a wild Pokemon."

"And since when do Skarmory live in the Northern Desert, tall Combusken?" It was Urbana.

"Tall…Combusken?" Horus repeated.

Garde covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. Geckon tried his hardest not to laugh. Croc didn't even bother trying to hide it. He just laughed out loud without a care.

"I'm a Blaziken, not a Combusken," Horus corrected.

"Same thing!" Urbana replied. "So, you are Team Heroes? Or are you Team Raptors? Or are you that other team that I never saw before?"

"Team Raptors," Horus replied.

"We're Team Heroes," Rhyperior added.

"And we're the team you never saw before," Luffy finished.

"Are we so weak that nobody knows who we are yet?" Brad asked, looking at his teammates.

"We'll have our chance at fame one day, Brad. Just you wait." Luffy reassured, patting his leader on the back.

"Yeah! We'll be super famous one day!" KC declared, striking a pose.

Brad laughed. "Yeah, you're right," the Pikachu agreed. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Luffy said.

Urbana coughed to catch their attention. "I was sent from the Northern Desert Kingdom to escort you there safely. Your friends need help."

"You mean Team Legend? Are they okay?" Electivire asked.

"The Pikachu, the Riolu, and the Eevee are okay. Their friends are stuck in the palace. Princess Sunburst and Mark are going to rescue them." Urbana explained. "We have to go quickly. Kadar's army will be tough for Mark to take alone, so you should help."

"If it means getting Team Legend back to Treasure Town in one piece, then I'm in!" Rhyperior said.

"Count me in as well," Horus agreed.

"Me three!" Brad cried.

"Then you are all going to help?" Urbana asked.

"YEAH!" the three Exploration Teams cried.

"Follow me and be quick! There's not much time! The deadline ends at midnight tonight and the sun is already high in the sky!" Urbana warned, flying away.

The Exploration Teams followed after her as quickly as they could. Geckon was the fastest and easily caught up with her. "What deadline?" he asked.

"The deadline Kadar set up in the fliers!" Urbana replied. "If the Pikachu, Riolu, and Eevee don't hand over Princess Sunburst at midnight tonight, their friends will be fed to Claw and Tooth!"

"Who are Claw and Tooth?" Croc asked.

"A giant Tyranitar and a giant Feraligatr that serve Kadar," Urbana answered.

"The two Pokemon that took Team Legend's recruits from Treasure Town!" Luffy realized. "Now we've really got to hurry!"

The group sped up as they raced through the fifteenth floor in search of the stairs. They didn't have a lot of time left to lose!

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the palace throne room…_

"And…there we go!" Darnell hauled himself out of the quicksand floor and hopped onto the stone floor, dragging the block back into place. "Here we are! The throne room!"

"Are you okay? We weren't too heavy, were we?" Sandra asked.

"Nah! I've lifted heavier things through quicksand before. You guys weighed next to nothing! Except Mark, that is."

"I'm part Steel-type. Steel-types are heavy by nature." Mark grumbled.

"I know," Darnell chuckled.

"Hey, there are some of your Sandshrew!" Sunburst cried.

Darnell turned and smirked upon seeing a group of four Sandshrew in the throne room. All four looked terrified at seeing the group. Upon seeing Darnell, however, the Sandshrew dashed forward to greet their former leader.

"All right, calm down. Yeah, I'm back." Darnell said, patting the four Ground-types on their heads. "Look, I need you guys to do a favor for me. You guys don't like Kadar being ruler, right?"

"No, sir!" one Sandshrew cried.

"He's mean to us!" the second said.

"He makes us do things we don't want to do!" the third whined.

"And he doesn't feed us if we fail!" the fourth cried.

"Do you guys want King Ty and Queen Floe to be the rulers?" Darnell asked.

"YEAH!" the four Sandshrew cried.

"Then start a revolt," Darnell instructed. "Get every Sandshrew and Sandslash in the palace to revolt. Start a riot, a fight, whatever you can think of. Just create some major chaos, okay?"

"Right, sir!" the four Sandshrew saluted.

"After you stir up some chaos, meet me in the lift room. We're breaking King Ty, Queen Floe, and the guard leaders out." Darnell added.

"Yes, sir!" the four Sandshrew cried.

"Good," Darnell said. "Now move out, as quickly as you can. The faster we start this, the faster we can end it."

The four Sandshrew raced off to obey Darnell's orders. The Sandslash turned to look at the rest of the group and sighed.

"I guess we part ways from here," he said.

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "Be careful."

"You're the one who needs to be careful. You're headed up to the arena, remember?" Darnell pointed out. "Good luck."

"Good luck," Mark agreed.

Darnell turned and dashed out the throne room doors, heading toward the lift room. Mark led the group out of the throne room and toward the stairs. They ran up them as quickly yet quietly as they could.

_/No matter how careful you are, bad things are bound to happen. It happens everywhere. Despite all the precautions you take, something is bound to go wrong sooner or later. Our time to have something go wrong is…now./_

Just as the group headed up their second flight of stairs, Kayle flew in through a nearby window. He froze upon seeing them before quickly zooming back outside, Mark's Bone Club missing him by inches. Mark dashed toward the window and looked up to see the Skarmory Patrol leader flying toward the top floor.

"Darn it! Now Kadar definitely knows we're here!" Mark cursed.

"He'd have found out sooner or later. Let's just get upstairs and knock him off of my dad's throne!" Sunburst cried.

"I thought that we could avoid fighting Tooth and Claw altogether if we got to the top floor without Kadar knowing we were here yet." Mark muttered.

"Guys, we have company!" Lucar warned.

Two Aggron blocked the stairs, growling angrily. Mark picked up his Bone Club and aimed it at one of the Steel-types. Sparks shot from Carlos' cheeks. Lucar, Sandra, Sunburst, and Teri readied to fight.

The two groups lunged at one another as one.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the palace arena…_

"Intruders! Intruders on the second floor stairway!" Kayle screamed, flying through one of the arena windows.

Thrax, Snowflake, and Raptor looked up at the wailing Skarmory. Thrax grinned. "About time they got here," he said.

Kadar smiled, looking up from watching Tooth and Claw finish off their afternoon meal. "Excellent. Thrax, I'll leave them to you. Tooth and Claw will keep them busy as well. If they manage to defeat you, direct them toward their friends."

Kadar looked at a large Steelix skin box with holes drilled into it. Sparks shot across its metallic surface from the holes. It was resting on the ground behind Tooth and Claw. Kadar smirked knowingly.

"Be sure to _have a blast_, Thrax." Kadar wished. He then teleported himself to the top floor to await the results of the palace invasion.

Thrax smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry, baby. I sure will."

He sat back and relaxed, waiting for his opponents to arrive in the arena. The battle to come was sure to _be a blast_, as Kadar phrased it.

_If only they knew what they were getting into now,_ Thrax thought.

Hidden in a shadowy corner of the arena, Dusk looked up at the ceiling. He fingered his needle thoughtfully. He could just take these guys out right now but he'd be exposing himself too quickly. Better off waiting for Carlos and the others to arrive and stir up trouble before he jumped in.

Suddenly, the Banette saw something move on the ceiling. It was only a tiny movement but it had caught his attention nonetheless. He squinted, trying to make out the object against the ceiling. He smirked, realizing what it was.

_Clever,_ he thought. _I wouldn't have even noticed it if it hadn't have moved at that moment. Clever, Kadar…_


	46. Chapter 45: The Arena

Chapter 45: The Arena

"Bone Rush!" Mark's Bone Club collided with one of the Aggron's heads.

"Force Palm!" Lucar slammed his paw into the same Aggron's chest, forcing it to take a step back.

"Flame Wheel!" Sunburst unleashed multiple wheel-shaped flames that engulfed the Aggron. When the flames dispersed, it collapsed.

"One more, guys!" Carlos encouraged. "Thunderbolt!"

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried.

The second Aggron roared as the two attacks hit it. Barely avoiding defeat, the Steel-type raised its head to attack…only to stare in horror as a massive shadow rose above it.

"Surf's up!" Teri yelled, laughing as the massive wave crashed down upon the Aggron.

When the water spilled off of the sides of the staircase, both Aggron were unconscious. Before Sandra could ask how they would continue, Mark dashed forward and jumped over them. Sunburst followed, jumping off of one Aggron's head and then off of its back to get across. Teri and Team Legend followed their example, going over the two Aggron to continue on.

They raced up the stairs, taking down any opponent that they came across. They came across no hostile Sandshrew or Sandslash. Darnell's riot was no doubt already going on downstairs.

"How much further?" Carlos asked, panting for breath. _Just how many staircases does this place have? This is crazy!_

"Only two or three more staircases," Mark replied, looking just as winded as the rest of them.

"Not…gonna…make it!" Sandra gasped, collapsing on the stairs.

"Sandra!" Lucar cried, whirling around upon realizing the Eevee's aura had stopped following them.

Carlos ran back down the stairs toward her, digging through his back. Kneeling at her side, he helped her up and held an Oran Berry to her lips. "Here, this should help,"

Sandra blinked tiredly, feeling dizzy from running for so long. She looked at Carlos' slightly distorted form. _Carlos… He'd never…hurt me…right? Even if…he doesn't…like me… He still…goes out…of his way…to help me._

Carlos smiled as his friend bit into the Oran Berry. Then he laughed as she nearly tore it from his paws and devoured it in a few quick bites. The Eevee was completely recharged with energy.

"Feeling better?" the Pikachu asked, laughing.

"Yeah!" Sandra nodded. "Thanks, Carlos."

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" Carlos pointed out. "Let's keep going. Just a bit farther and we can end all of this."

"Yeah," Sandra said. When Carlos turned his back on her, she lowered her head slightly. _Friends… Can't we ever be more than that?_

Sunburst looked back one more time before continuing on. Seeing Sandra's sad expression nearly tore the Quilava's heart apart.

_/I still didn't know that Sunburst regretted what she did to me and Lucar in the Northern Desert. I still believed her words. Wouldn't you? I was still a naïve little Eevee back then. I couldn't tell the difference between the truth and a lie. That makes three times I've fallen for lies: when Dusk posed as my big sister's friend and kidnapped me, when Jealousy took Carlos' place and made me turn on the real Carlos, and now Sunburst's statement that Carlos could never love a coward like me. And there would be more times coming in the future./_

The group of six continued onward, defeating any guards that got in their way. Upon coming across a Luxray, Mark had used Earthquake to defeat it. It took a Rock Slide from Lucar to knock the guard out, though. Mark hadn't been kidding that there were Electric-type guards in the palace.

After going up a few more staircases, they came to a stop. Massive ornate double-doors stood before them. Beautiful patterns and images of various Pokemon were carved into its wooden surface. Strange writing was carved along the doors' edges but Carlos couldn't read what it said.

"What is it?" Lucar asked.

"Some kind of big door," Carlos replied, remembering the Riolu's blindness. "It got a bunch of pretty pictures and stuff on it."

"It's the entrance to the palace arena," Mark explained, resting a paw on the door. "It is made from only the best wood, usually harvested from Torterra that pass through the kingdom. It is much easier to open than the kingdom gates outside. King Ty could open this one with one hand if he tried hard enough."

"Could we?" Carlos asked curiously.

"If all of us except Mark tried, I think so," Sunburst said.

"Go right on ahead," Mark stepped away.

Carlos, Sandra, Lucar, Teri, and Sunburst lined up in front of the wooden double-doors. Placing their paws upon it, the five Pokemon pushed with all their might. The door shifted a bit before slowly inching open. Growing impatient, Mark stepped forward and gave the doors a firm shove. They both swung open as one, sending the smaller Pokemon crashing to the floor.

"Thanks," Sunburst said sarcastically.

"You're welcome, princess," Mark replied, helping her up and dusting her off.

"Guys, we've got company!" Lucar warned, falling into an attack stance.

The group stepped into the arena. Tooth and Claw snarled from their place at the center of the arena, tails lashing and jaws snapping angrily at the intruders. Snowflake stood up, having been seated in front of the metallic box housing Carlos' friends. Sparks still shot across its surface. Raptor landed beside her, smirking.

"Four," Sunburst said.

"No," Lucar shook his head. He looked up at the balconies the ringed the edge of the arena near the ceiling. A dark figure was perched on the banister of one of them. "Five,"

"Geez! Nothing can get past you, eh, baby?" the figure laughed. "I was hoping to ambush you but I guess that isn't happening. Oh well, it was worth a shot."

It jumped from the balcony and landed in front of Raptor and Snowflake. It was Thrax. The Toxicroak stood up and smiled, his lone hand-claw beginning to glow.

"We've been waiting for you to get up here, babies. Made your decision yet?" he asked.

"We're not handing over Sunburst!" Carlos cried. "We're here to save our friends and take you guys down!"

"Have you even thought this through?" Snowflake asked. "We've got the advantage here. Even if you start to win, Kadar will simply use the princess' parents against her and we'll simply use your friends against you, Carlos. You can't win."

"May as well forget using King Ty and Queen Floe as hostages," Mark said. "We've got that covered already."

"What?" the Glaceon yelped. "How?"

"You guys must surely know about the dead-end hall on the first floor being a lift to the dungeons. You actually thought we didn't know?" Mark questioned. "I guess you're the fools here. _We_ have the advantage here, not you."

"No! We still have those brats' friends! It's still our win! Right, boss?" Raptor looked at Thrax.

"Of course it's our win," Thrax agreed. "Even if you beat us in a battle, we'll still win."

"We'll see about that!" Mark lunged. "Bone Rush!"

"Poison Jab!" Thrax blocked the Lucario's attack with his hand-claw, repelling each and every strike. "Is this the best you've got, baby?"

Carlos turned to Lucar. "Where are Joy and the others?" he asked.

"I can sense aura in that metal box but not much," Lucar replied, focusing his aura vision. "The Steelix skin is blocking my aura. I'd have to train my aura vision more to see through it completely."

"Are they in there or not?" Sandra asked.

"I don't think so," Lucar said. "I can't identify the aura if it's just in pieces. It's none of our friends' auras, though."

"Then where are they?" Teri asked, looking around. "I can't see anywhere else they could be!"

"Maybe you're wrong," Sunburst suggested. "They could still be in that box. You guys keep them busy. I'll break open that box and see if it's them."

"Be careful," Lucar warned. "I can't recognize the aura entirely but I know I've sensed it before."

"I will," the Quilava nodded.

As the Fire-type dashed away, Lucar looked around the arena once more. _I know I can sense more auras in this room,_ he thought. _I just can't find where they're coming from!_

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the dungeons…_

"Oh, Ty, what do we do? Sunburst could be in grave danger!"

"I don't know, Floe. I'm sure Mark is taking good care of her. She'll be fine."

Huddled in one of the many cells of the dungeon was a pair of Typhlosion. They were King Ty and Queen Floe, the rulers of the Northern Desert Kingdom and Sunburst's parents. They had been stuck in their cell for a long time, unaware of exactly how much time had passed since Kadar had them imprisoned.

Queen Floe looked at her husband and nodded, tears still running down her cheeks. "You're right. Sunburst will be safe as long as she doesn't come here."

"Yeah," King Ty nodded, walking toward the barred door of their cell. "Qwil will be home soon. He'll take care of this."

"But Ty, what if Qwil doesn't co—"

"Shhh!" King Ty hissed, ears pricked. "Someone's coming."

The pair fell silent, listening to the sound of footsteps headed their way. It wasn't the heavy footsteps of Tooth and Claw or the slow steps of the Aggron. These were small and quick steps. They had to be…

"Sandshrew," King Ty muttered.

A loud clank caught their attention, along with the loud creaky of a cell door opening. It happened a few more times after that, steady drawing nearer to the two rulers' cell.

"What's going on, Ty?" Queen Floe whispered.

"What are you up to this time, Kadar?" King Ty growled, flames erupting from his shoulders in anger.

"It's not Kadar!" a voice hissed from the cell next door.

"Are you sure, Shappa?" King Ty asked.

"Absolutely! It's Darnell! He's come back to free us!" Shappa cried.

"Darnell!" Queen Floe cried.

A loud clank came from Shappa's cell, releasing the Manectric and her mate, Manzur. The pair gave a quick thanks to Darnell before racing away.

Then Darnell stood before King Ty and Queen Floe's cell, a group of Sandshrew beside him. A pair of Sandshrew struggled to get the key into the lock and backed off once it clanked. Darnell yanked the cell door open, smiling as his leaders happily bounded out of the cell.

"Oh, Darnell, thank you!" Queen Floe cried, tears running down her cheeks once more.

"How did you get down here without being seen?" King Ty asked.

"Mark had me cause a huge ruckus upstairs with the Sandshrew guards," Darnell explained, leading them away from the cell. "Mark, Teri, Princess Sunburst, and these three Pokemon from an Exploration Team went upstairs to deal with Kadar."

"Sunburst is here?" Queen Floe cried.

"Why didn't you stop her?" King Ty demanded.

"I couldn't! She had her mind set on it!" Darnell yelped. "She really is like you, King Ty."

The Typlosion sighed, his flames dying and his anger faded. "Once again, you are correct about that," he admitted.

"Mark will keep her safe, and so will that Exploration Team," Darnell reassured. "They brought her home safe and sound. They'll make sure she gets through this safe and sound, too."

"Are you sure?" Queen Floe asked.

"Absolutely," Darnell promised. "Ah! Here we are!"

A large hole was dug into the wall in front of them. Darnell led the pair through it, revealing it to be a long tunnel to the surface just outside of the palace. Part of it was nearly vertical but they made it. Darnell climbed out first, followed by King Ty. Just as Queen Floe was climbing out, a large shadow fell over her.

Darnell turned around to see if both of his leaders were out, only to gasp as he saw an Aggron standing near the tunnel exit. It was raising one hand to strike at Queen Floe, who was only halfway out of the tunnel.

"Queen Floe!" the Sandslash cried.

"Get away from her!" King Ty roared, flames building up in his jaws.

"Overheat!" a strange voice shouted.

The Aggron roared in agony as flames enveloped its metallic form. When the flames dispersed, the Steel-type crashed to the ground. It was unconscious. Queen Floe scrambled out of the tunnel and ran to King Ty, hugging him.

"Are you all okay?" the voice asked.

The trio looked up to see a Blaziken. Darnell's eyes widened in shock, recognizing him. It was Horus Blazer of Team Raptors, one of the most famous Exploration Teams ever created. The Blaziken turned back to the battle that had begun to rage outside of the palace.

"You better get away from here," he warned. "This is going to get even more dangerous soon enough."

"You're Horus Blazer!" Darnell cried.

"Yes, I am," Horus nodded. "You two must be King Ty and Queen Floe."

"Yes," Queen Floe nodded.

"Please get to safety," Horus advised. "We'll deal with this. Our friends in the palace will deal with Kadar. This will all be over soon, I promise."

"Thank you," Queen Floe said.

Darnell quickly led King Ty and Queen Floe away from the palace. Horus Blazer returned to the battle, rejoining his teammates in fighting the corrupted palace guards. _I hope you save your friends, Team Legend,_ he thought.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the palace arena…_

"Bone Rush!"

"Poison Jab!"

Mark and Thrax collided, their weapons struggling against one another in an effort to gain the upper hand. Mark growled, his aura sensors rising in frustration before he tore away. Thrax lunged, his hand-claw missing the Lucario's back by barely an inch. He was quick to block Mark's Bone Club, though.

"You're strong," Mark muttered. "You really do deserve to be a member of the Big Five criminals. It's just too bad you chose the path of darkness rather than the path of light."

"Darkness? Light? I don't care about either of those things, baby." Thrax said, smirking. "All I care about s being the strongest."

"There's better ways to be strong!" Mark persisted.

"Yeah, but I've already chosen mine." Thrax replied. "And I'm not in the mood to change it."

The pair quickly parted, dashing away as the massive bulk of Tooth crashed to the ground where they had previously been. The Feraligatr struggled to his feet, snarling in rage.

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos cried.

Tooth bared his teeth as he took the Electric-type's attack. Then he lashed out with his tail, succeeding in throwing the Pikachu aside. Just as he lumbered forward, a beam of ice trapped his foot to the ground.

"Huh?" Tooth looked at his foot and then at the grinning face of Teri.

"Take that!" the Buizel cried.

"Ice Shard!" Snowflake shouted, sending chunks of ice flying at Teri.

"Whoa!" The Buizel bounded away and unleashed another Ice Beam in retaliation.

"Two can play that game!" the Glaceon growled, launching her own Ice Beam.

Raptor, who had been chasing down Lucar, screamed upon seeing two Ice Beams flying toward him. The Staraptor pulled out of his chase and flew toward the ceiling of the arena, escaping the point of collision between the two attacks. In his haste to escape, he didn't watch where he was going and crashed in midair.

Lucar ceased running, sensing the Staraptor fleeing. Looking up, he watched in shock as Raptor seemed to crash into something hanging from the ceiling. _What the…? What is that?_

Lucar was forced to shove those questions to the back of his mind as Claw lunged at him, sharp claws raking the ground only a short distance behind him. The blind Riolu ran once more before whipping around, slamming a Force Palm into Claw's snout. The Tyranitar roared in pain, backing up a step. Sandra's Shadow Ball crashed into his back, forcing Claw forward again.

Carlos smirked as he ducked between Tooth's legs, escaping the Feraligatr's sight. Racing past the confused Claw and behind the distracted Snowflake, the Pikachu grinned in victory as he saw the set of stairs that led to the floor above the arena…the floor where Kadar was waiting.

He saw Sunburst dashing toward the Steelix skin box that held his friends prisoner. The Quilava stopped short of her destination, smiling as Carlos ran up to her.

"Carlos! What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going upstairs to deal with Kadar," Carlos replied. "Free my friends and deal with these guys. I'll see you upstairs, okay?"

"Okay," Sunburst nodded. "Carlos… Thank you…for everything you've done."

"Hey, that's an explorer's job. We help those in need." Carlos shrugged, smiling.

"Yeah," Sunburst nodded, staring dreamily at him. _I wonder if he'll accept my offer after this,_ she thought. _I hope he does. I don't want to see him go._

"Good luck!" Carlos wished, dashing toward the steps.

"Good luck to you, too!" Sunburst cried. Then she turned and ran toward the Steelix skin box. "It's time to end this!"

Raptor witnessed the pair parting ways and gasped as Carlos vanished up the stairway. "Thrax! The Pikachu is going upstairs!" he cried.

"You didn't stop him?" Thrax demanded, leaping away from Mark. He glared up at the Staraptor.

"I couldn't! I only just now saw him!" Raptor explained. "The princess is going for the box!"

"Excellent!" Thrax replied. "Kadar will deal with the Pikachu! Leave the princess to do as she pleases!"

"Right, boss!" Raptor nodded.

_What could they mean?_ Mark wondered, raising his Bone Club to defend against Thrax's hand-claw. _Do they want Princess Sunburst to free Carlos' friends? Do they think they're strong enough to defeat all of us? Or do they have something else planned?_

Hiding in a dark corner of the arena, Dusk narrowed his eyes as Sunburst neared the box. He tightened his grip on his needle and glanced up at the ceiling, right where Raptor had crashed only moments before.

_/We had no idea what Kadar had planned for us. We also had no idea Dusk was helping us. I'm just glad Dusk chose to help us out. Without him, I might not be talking to you. I'd probably be in a jail cell…or worse, I might be a servant of Thrax./_

Sunburst panted for breath, glancing behind her to see if any of their enemies were following her. Luckily, they were all being taken care of by Mark, Teri, Sandra, and Lucar. Turning around again, she looked at the large Steelix skin box before her.

_Don't worry, guys. We'll have more help soon,_ she thought.

She reached out a paw, flinching back slightly as sparks of electricity shot across the box's metallic surface. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she reached out to grasp the lock on the front of it. All she had to do was melt it with her fire and Carlos' friends would be free.

Just seconds before she touched the lock, pain exploded through her paw. Yelping, Sunburst withdrew her paw and clutched it to her chest. "What the—"

Pain suddenly erupted from the back of her neck, forcing her to throw back her head as she clutched the throbbing area. Tears welled up in her eyes and she gritted her teeth. The pain was intense, almost as if someone had burned her. That was ironic, seeing as she was a Fire-type and could not get burned.

Opening one red eye a crack, she noticed something on the ceiling move. Opening both eyes, she stared at the spot on the ceiling. Something there moved again. It was a small movement, one she would've never noticed if she hadn't been staring so intensely at that specific spot due to the pain.

Then Sunburst noticed something. The pain was gone, as if it melted away. Lowering her paws from the back of her neck, she kept staring at that spot on the ceiling…and gasped as a few sparks of electricity shot across it.

"What is that?" Sunburst whispered.

In the darkness, Dusk grinned. "About time, princess," he said.


	47. Chapter 46: The Trap

Chapter 46: The Trap

Carlos dashed up the staircase, determined to defeat Kadar and save Sunburst's kingdom. Sparks were already shooting from his cheeks. He sped up, doing his best not to trip on the steps in his haste.

Seeing a door up ahead, the Pikachu shot forward with a Quick Attack and threw it open with his weight alone. Stepping into the room, he easily picked out Kadar standing in front of a large window. The Kadabra, having heard the racket that Carlos had made, turned to face his opponent.

"So, you've finally made it," Kadar said in false politeness. "About time, too,"

_/There he was. Kadar, the one that had taken over Sunburst's kingdom. He had jailed King Ty and Queen Floe, had Sunburst kidnapped, corrupted the Northern Desert Kingdom's palace guards, tried to have us killed, and then kidnapped our friends. And to think that nobody but us even knew that the Northern Desert Kingdom is in danger. Haven't the other kingdoms even bothered to check if they were all right?/_

"Give up!" Carlos demanded. "It's over! You've lost!"

"Oh, really?" Kadar asked, stepping away from the window. He folded his hands behind his back. "You say that it's over. I think not. Oh, no… It's only just beginning."

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, not letting his guard down.

"What I mean…is that while you are up here, your friends are about to have the biggest bombshell possible dropped on them. Or should I just say bomb?" Kadar chuckled darkly.

"What are you talking about?" Carlos shouted.

"You think you have everything in the bag?" Kadar asked. "No, I'm afraid you don't. You think you can save the princess? Your friends? This kingdom? I'm afraid a child like you can never achieve that much."

"And why not?" Carlos demanded.

"Because you're just a child. Children are simpleminded idiots. They can never achieve much." Kadar said. "Do you honestly think you can protect anyone or anything, boy?"

"Of course I can!" Carlos cried.

"Then you've already failed," Kadar smirked.

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked.

"You've already failed to protect your friends," Kadar explained. "Do you truly think I would leave your captured friends in plain sight like that? Of course not! The Steelix skin box is a fake! Your friends are not there!" He began to laugh. "But, as you already saw, it's not empty. No, that box holds quite a nasty surprise for your other friends."

"What did you do? Where are my friends?" Carlos demanded.

"Your captured friends are out of harm's way…until your other friends open the box, that is." Kadar replied. "I'm sure it'll _be a blast_."

"You…" Carlos growled, fists clenching and sparks shooting violently from his cheeks.

"Don't blame me for this. It's your own fault for leaving your friends behind." Kadar pointed out.

Carlos jumped as a loud slam sounded from behind him. Whirling around, the Pikachu gasped. The door to the room had closed. He turned to glare at Kadar.

"I'm afraid I can let you warn them of their impending doom," Kadar said. "You will stay up here, you will fight me, you will lose, and you will be forced to listen to the final screams of your friends as my nasty surprise erases them from existence."

"My friends won't die! We'll win!" Carlos declared.

"You have so much faith in your friends," Kadar noted. He frowned. "I _hate_ faith. It's like believing in dreams yet doing nothing to achieve them. You just sit around, waiting for it to happen. Just believing in your friends won't save them, boy."

"You'd be surprised," Carlos shot back.

"Oh, really?" Kadar said. "As I said before, my reign has yet to end. It is only beginning."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Carlos cried.

"Then you won't _have_ anything to say," Kadar replied, lifting his spoons in an attack stance. "Prepare to lose, boy."

"Not in this lifetime," Carlos growled, falling into his own attack stance.

"Then this lifetime will end…for you!" Kadar cried.

And all at once, with a simple exchange of words, the true battle began.

_In the Northern Desert Kingdom, the palace arena…_

The battle in the arena was still raging, but it was now beginning to come to an end. Both sides were growing exhausted, though neither showed it. Individual battles continued, both sides desperate to win and claim their reward. For Team Legend, the reward was the freedom of their friends and the Northern Desert Kingdom. For Thrax and his minions, the reward was the capture of more minions in the forms of Sandra and Sunburst.

"Surf!" Teri cried.

Teri grinned gleefully as the wall of water crashed into Claw. The giant Tyranitar roared, severely weakened by the attack. He lunged forward to swipe at Teri, only to crash into Tooth's back and knock them both over. The Feraligatr roared angrily, attempting to shove Claw off.

"No you don't! Ice Beam!" Teri shouted.

Claw's hands became frozen to the floor, trapping him on top of Tooth. Tooth snarled, clawing at the Tyranitar's chest. Claw snarled back and the pair began fighting, unable to get up thanks to the Buizel.

"Mark, look what I did! Is that cool or what?" Teri yelled, looking over his shoulder at the Lucario.

"Good jo—GAH!" Mark yelped, barely lifting his Bone Club in time to save himself from a Poison Jab aimed at his chest. "That was close…"

"Lucky little…" Thrax growled, jumping back to recover from smashing his hand-claw into the Lucario's Bone Club. His knuckles still ached from punching the stone block in the underground tunnels but he ignored the pain. "Try this on for size! Poison Sting!"

Mark quickly dashed away before charging forward with Quick Attack. Pulling back his fist, he lunged toward the Toxicroak. Something sharp stabbed into his chest but Mark attack regardless, smashing his glowing fist into Thrax's chest.

"Drain Punch!" Mark shouted.

Thrax bit back a scream as pain erupted from his chest, the force of the blow throwing him backward. His strength was being sapped away little by little. _Darn…it…_ Thrax cursed in his head.

Lucar and Sandra ran as fast as they could away from Snowflake, who had begun chasing them once Teri ran away from her. Sandra suddenly whirled around, throwing a Shadow Ball at the Glaceon. Snowflake smirked, retaliating with a Shadow Ball of her own. The two attacks exploded upon collision.

Snowflake emerged from the smoke and summoned large chunks of ice. "You kids are finished!" she hissed. "Ice Shar—AAAAH!"

Thrax's flying body crashed into Snowflake, sending both criminals flying across the arena. Rolling to a stop on the floor, Thrax coughed before groaning as his chest ached. Snowflake struggled to get up, only to collapse again.

"What where you're going, baby!" Thrax barked.

"You're the one who hit me!" Snowflake argued.

Mark smirked. "Four down, one to go," he said.

"Boss! Snowflake!" Raptor cried, having remained near the ceiling since the Ice Beam struggle between Snowflake and Teri.

"I've got him!" Lucar raised his paws and large chunks of rock were torn from the ground. "Rock Throw!"

"AAAAAAAAH!" Raptor screamed, flying away as fast as he could…only to crash beak-first into something on the ceiling. "Ow! Not again!" He plummeted to the ground, landing not far from where Thrax and Snowflake were.

"What was that?" Sandra asked.

"So there _is_ something up there," Sunburst whispered.

"Maybe it's a trap!" Teri cried.

"There's aura coming from it," Lucar commented. "It's really weak, though. It's like something's…blocking my aura vision."

_/From what Lucar has told me, blocking aura is very difficult. Not many Pokemon are capable of hiding their aura and very few attacks can hide aura. Riolu and Lucario are specialized to locate and track aura. If you can hide your aura from either one successfully, then you've preformed an amazing feat./_

"Can something actually do that?" Sunburst asked, looking at Mark. "Can something block one's aura from being seen?"

"To an extent, certain attacks can," Mark replied. "And I know a way to break whatever may be hiding…whatever that is up there…from our sight. I just hope it's what I think it is."

Lifting up his Bone Club, the Lucario tossed it up and down experimentally before tossing it up high. Pulling back his fist, he punched one end of the Bone Club as it started to fall and sent it flying through the air toward the strange object. It almost looked like a bone-shaped arrow.

"Brick Break!" Mark shouted.

The Bone Club collided with the object and green cracks spread across the surface of it. Suddenly, a green sphere appeared and shattered into a million little pieces. The group ducked and covered their heads as green shards fell toward them, only to discover the shards dissolved in midair.

Mark lifted one paw and caught his falling Bone Club. "Well, look at that," he said, staring at the ceiling.

Hanging from the ceiling by a sturdy chain…was a second Steelix skin box. It was swinging back and forth due to Mark's Bone Club hitting it. That wasn't the most surprising thing, though. Voices were coming from the box.

"Let us out of here!"

"Carlos! Sandra! Lucar! Help!"

"That's Joy!" Lucar cried.

"And Luv!" Sandra added.

"Your friends?" Teri yelped. "But then…if they're up there…"

"Then who…or what…is in there?" Sunburst finished, looking at the first Steelix skin box.

_/So, our friends had been hidden away in a second box that was suspended from the ceiling. That left questions about the first box. What was in it? Whatever it is can use electricity. Kadar and Thrax hadn't given us many hints…at least, no obvious hints./_

"Let's get your friends down first," Mark suggested, looking at Lucar and Sandra. "After that, we can figure out what Kadar was planning for us in that other box."

"Yeah," Lucar nodded.

"How did Kadar do that?" Sandra suddenly asked. "Shouldn't we have heard them calling for help?"

"Light Screen and Skill Swap," Mark replied.

"Huh?" The Eevee looked at Mark, confused.

"Light Screen was the green barrier that I shattered," Mark explained. "And, if I'm correct, Kadar probably used Skill Swap on some Loudred or something."

"Skill Swap switches the abilities of the user and the target," Teri pointed out.

"And Loudred's ability is Soundproof," Lucar added. "It blocks out all noise-based attacks."

"So, in a sense, it can stop all noise." Mark said. "Light Screen simply contained the area that Soundproof affected. It's a clever combination. We might've never figured it out if it weren't for that Staraptor."

"Guys, hang on!" Sandra called, looking up at the hanging box. "We're going to get you down!"

"Hurry!" Luv's voice emerged from the box. "Michael looks really sick from all the swinging!"

"Don't worry! It'll just take a second!" Lucar promised. He looked at the others. "How do we get them down?"

"Teri?" Mark looked at the Buizel. "Can you freeze the chain?"

"You bet I can!" Teri nodded, twin tails wagging happily. "Ice Beam!"

A blast of ice hit the chain that connected the box to the ceiling, freezing it solid. Mark tossed his Bone Club up and down before punching it in midair, sending it soaring toward the chain. With a loud crash, the Bone Club shattered the frozen chain.

"Hold on tight, guys!" Sandra cried.

The screams of Team Legend's captured teammates erupted as the box plummeted to the arena floor below. The group scattered, escaping just in time as the box hit the ground. Once the dust cleared, the group approached it.

"Princess, if you would," Mark gestured to the lock.

"My pleasure, Mark," Sunburst unleashed a blast of superheated flame from her mouth, melting the lock. Then she reached out and pulled the box door open. "And…there we are!"

Joy stumbled out, carrying a green-faced Michael in her arms. Luv followed her, carrying Zuzu on her back. Finally, Blackie crawled out. Sandra and Lucar dashed forward to reunite with their friends. Everyone was quick to back off when Michael finally threw up, though. During the reunion, everyone quickly forgot that they weren't the only ones in the arena.

"Yuck! Disgusting!" Snowflake complained, finally finding the strength to get to her paws.

"What do we do now, boss?" Raptor asked, dragging himself over. "We lost!"

"Don't you remember what I said, baby?" Thrax reminded, smirking. "Even if they beat us in battle, we'll still win."

"But how?" Raptor whined.

"Maybe we should leave," Snowflake suggested. "Or we'll get caught in it, too."

"Good idea," Thrax nodded, hauling himself to his feet. "Raptor, get your wings moving and fly us out of here."

"Right, boss!" Raptor quickly spread his wings and flapped them, getting into the air.

Lucar was the first to notice the trio fleeing. "Hey! Come back here!" the blind Riolu shouted.

"They're getting away!" Sandra cried.

"Not if I can help it! Ice Beam!" Teri yelled.

"Shadow Ball!" Snowflake tossed the black and purple orb at them, destroying the Buizel's attack in one hit. She jumped on Raptor's back. "Move it!"

"Right!" Raptor wrapped his talons around Thrax's shoulders and shot into the air, aiming for one of the many windows near the arena ceiling. "See you later, losers!"

"Get back here! We're not through with you!" Mark snarled.

"Maybe you're not, but we are," Thrax said, waving to them. "Have fun with Kadar's surprise, babies. See you later…if there is one!"

Raptor flew out a window, taking Snowflake and Thrax with him. The Flying-type headed across the desert to return to their usual base. Thrax groaned, his chest aching. Behind his pain, he was angry.

"Those brats will pay," the Toxicroak vowed.

The trio vanished across the desert, fleeing from the Northern Desert Kingdom.

_/We'll be seeing them again, of course. Since when haven't we seen them again? I still don't understand how we kept running into Thrax over and over so many times. Maybe Carlos was unintentionally leading us to him. Or maybe Thrax was stalking us. Ugh…I sure hope he wasn't. And worse yet is that he'll have some new buddies next time. Great…/_

"They're gone," Teri said.

"Then there's nothing else we can do about them." Mark turned to look at the second Steelix skin box. "Now to deal with this,"

"What do you think is in it?" Sandra asked.

"Nothing…good…" Joy replied.

"Do you know what's in there?" Sunburst asked, looking at the five former captives.

"We didn't really see it," Luv admitted.

"Only little glimpses through the holes in the box that Kadabra put us in," Zuzu added.

"I saw red…and white," Blackie offered.

"Ball!" Michael suddenly cried, completely recovered from his motion sickness.

"Michael, we don't have time to play right now." Sandra said.

"Uses electricity… Red and white… Ball…" Mark muttered. _Could it be…?_ "Go upstairs,"

Sandra, Lucar, and their teammates looked at the Lucario in confusion. "What?" Lucar asked.

"Go upstairs, all of you," Mark ordered. "Go now!"

"Mark, what is it?" Sunburst asked.

"Don't worry about it! Just go! All of you!" Mark barked.

"Not without an answer," Teri said firmly, crossing his arms.

"Go," Mark growled, barring his teeth at the Buizel.

Teri was quick to give up. "Okay! Let's go, guys!" he squeaked.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Sandra asked.

"No," Mark shook his head. "I'll deal with this myself."

"No way!" Sunburst cried. "You're not fighting whatever is in there all alone!"

"Princess, you have to get upstairs and help get rid of Kadar. Isn't that what you wanted to do?" the Lucario challenged. "You wanted to defeat Kadar on your own. You wanted to avenge your parents. You wanted to make him pay for his betrayal."

"If you're planning on doing this alone, it's going to be something dangerous." Sunburst said.

"You don't know that," Mark growled.

"Maybe not but I know you well enough!" Sunburst cried.

Mark looked away. "Just go…"

"Sunburst, let's just go. Carlos might need help." Sandra pleaded, looking at the Quilava.

"It's not that he _might_ need help. It's that he _will_ need help." Mark argued. "A single Pikachu can't defeat Kadar, not matter how strong that Pikachu is."

"Strength isn't a problem for Carlos," Lucar said. "But you're right. Even Carlos needs help tackling tough enemies. Let's go, guys."

Lucar led the way up the stairway. Joy, Michael, Luv, Zuzu, and Blackie followed him. After a bit of pulling and pleading, Sandra managed to pull Sunburst after them. All that remained in the arena now were the trapped Tooth and Claw, Mark, the second Steelix skin box, and…

"I…I'm staying!"

Mark looked over his shoulder to see Teri standing there. "No, Teri. Go,"

"No! I'm staying!" the Buizel cried. "No amount of growling is going to make me run now! You may be strong but even you need help sometimes! I'm staying and that's that!"

Mark slowly smiled. "Fine, but it's your funeral."

"I'm not going to die," Teri said, crossing his arms.

"Of course not," Mark turned to face the second box. "Besides, we might be able to stop this thing if we work quickly enough. Get your Ice Beam ready, Teri. We're going to need it."

"W-what's in there, anyway?" Teri asked, fur rising in fear.

With a quick swipe of his Bone Club, the lock on the door broke off. Slowly, the door of the metallic box swung open. Electricity sparks across its surface as a large red and white sphere rolled out. Even the snarling Tooth and Claw fell silent upon seeing it.

"That's a…a…" Teri stuttered.

"Electrode," Mark finished. "Want to leave now?"

"N-no way!" Teri shook his head. "I-I'm staying! N-no excuses!"

"Okay," the Lucario nodded. "Get ready…"

The Electrode grinned upon seeing its targets.

"Set…"

Mark raised his Bone Club. Teri started charging up his Ice Beam. Tooth and Claw simply stared, unable to get loose due to the ice binding Claw's hands to the ground and forcing him to pin Tooth beneath him. The Electrode began to glow with brilliant white light.

"…NOW!"

Mark and Teri lunged as the Electrode was consumed in hot white light. Tooth and Claw roared in terror, unable to flee. In seconds, it exploded and showered the entire arena in flames and debris.


	48. Chapter 47: Fire and Lightning

Chapter 47: Fire and Lightning

Sunburst led the way as the group raced up the stairs leading to the top of the palace. Though she was worried for both Mark and Teri, she knew that they would be okay. At least, she _hoped_ they would be…

A huge tremor suddenly shook the palace, tossing the group around for a few seconds before it stopped. The only one who didn't get hurt was Zuzu, the only one of them that could fly. The rest had gained scratches and bruises from the shaking.

"What was that?" Luv asked.

"It felt like an earthquake," Joy commented.

"No," Lucar muttered. "It wasn't an earthquake. It sounded more like an explosion."

"Do you think it was whatever was in that other box?" Sandra asked.

"Maybe," Lucar nodded. "We should keep moving. No doubt that tremor threw Kadar and Carlos around, too!"

"Yeah!" Sunburst agreed, dashing up the steps. _I'm coming, Carlos!_

A large door soon loomed ahead of them, the sound of crashing coming from the other side. The group came to a stop in front of it. Sunburst stepped forward, ready to throw open the door. Lucar held out a paw, stopping her.

"Wait," the blind Riolu said.

"What are you doing? We need to help Carlos!" Sunburst cried.

Lucar ignored her, turning to look at his teammates. "It's not safe for all of us to go in there," he stated. "Joy, I think you should stay behind with Michael and Blackie. None of you are strong enough to take on Kadar, even with us defending you."

"I understand," Joy looked down at Michael. "Someone has to watch over them. Since I haven't gone on missions in so long, I'm not nearly as strong as the rest of you are."

"But I want to help," Blackie said, stepping forward. "I may not be very strong, but I want to do my part on this team."

"Blackie, not only are you still weaker than us but you're injured." Lucar pointed out. "Carlos and Teri told us you were really hurt when Claw and Tooth dragged you out of the throne room."

"They did? But how did they…?" The black Pikachu blinked in confusion.

"We'll explain later," Sandra promised. "Just stay here, please."

"…Okay," Blackie back down, ears lowered in sadness.

"You'll get your chance, Blackie," Lucar said gently.

"I wanna help!" Michael whined, struggling to get out of Joy's arms. "I can beat that dumb Kadabra!"

"Put him to sleep? Maybe. Beat him? I don't think so." Zuzu commented.

"Zuzu's right," Lucar said. "You're too young to try jumping into big battles like this, Michael. Leave it to us."

"No! I wanna help!" the Minun cried, struggling even more. "I wanna help Carlos!"

"That's enough out of you, mister!" Joy hugged the smaller Electric-type to her chest, stopping him from getting loose.

"Michael, Carlos wouldn't want you to get hurt." Sandra explained. "Don't you think it would hurt Carlos to hear that you got hurt trying to fight a battle you couldn't win?"

"I won't lose!" Michael cried. "I'm invisi…? No, invizo…? No, invinsa…?"

"Invincible?" Luv suggested.

"Yeah! That word!" Michael nodded. "No one can beat me!"

"Then save that strength for the big bad guys, okay?" Lucar said, attempting to trick the younger Pokemon.

Michael thought it over. "…Okay! You guys beat this guy! I'll get the really mean guys!"

"Yes, you will," Joy laughed, patting Michael on the head.

"Good luck," Blackie wished.

Sunburst, Lucar, Sandra, Luv, and Zuzu turned to face the door. The Quilava princess shoved it open and the group dashed inside, ready to fight.

Kadar turned, smiling upon seeing the intruders. "My, your friends made it. At least, most of them did."

"We all did," Sunburst growled. "Give up, Kadar! You're not the king!"

"Oh, but I will be," Kadar said with a smile. "After I eliminate you and your parents, I will be. Oh, and your brother, too, unless he chooses to accept Princess Cherry's marriage proposal. Then he'll get to stick around for a little bit longer."

"I won't let that happen!" Sunburst shouted.

"None of us will!" Sandra cried.

"A team without its leader is like a Torchic without its head. The body will just run around aimlessly until it finally dies." Kadar commented. "I wonder how long you'll run around…?"

Carlos, who was lying among the remains of a wooden table halfway across the room, struggled to his feet. Blood dripped down his chin and he was covered in bruises. Sparks shot from his cheeks as the Pikachu readied a Thunderbolt.

Kadar grinned, pointing a finger in Carlos' direction. Blue energy surrounded his body, picking Carlos right off the ground…and tossing him toward one of the room's window.

"Carlos!" Sandra screamed.

_/It was one of the most frightening moments of my life, second only to the times when Carlos actually vanished from my life. Carlos helped me achieve so much. My dream of forming an Exploration Team, making lots of friends, going on adventures, learning not to fear water… I was afraid of losing him. But, in the end…I lost him anyway./_

The glass shattered, throwing Carlos out into the open air. He started to fall. The Pikachu flailed his arms and legs uselessly, trying to slow his fall. _No way! This can't be it! I can't die here! I promised Sunburst I'd save her kingdom!_

"Carlos!" a voice cried.

Carlos was suddenly jerked to a stop, dangling in the air like a ragdoll. Finally mustering up the courage to open his eyes, he looked up and gasped. "Luv!" he cried.

"You okay?" the Piplup asked.

"But…how?" Carlos asked, shocked.

"Look a little further up and you'll know!" another voice called.

"Zuzu!" Carlos cried, looking above Luv to see the shiny Zubat. Luv was holding his paw in one flipper and one of Zuzu's two skinny tails in the other flipper. "I can't believe it! Thanks!"

"What are friends for?" Luv laughed.

"Don't move too much!" Zuzu warned, pumping her wings. "You two are heavy enough as it is!"

"Right!" Luv nodded, tightening her grip on her two friends.

Zuzu fought to fly the rest of the way back up to the broken window. Just inches away from it, her wings gave out. They started to fall again.

"Gotcha!" a voice cried.

A paw snagged the edge of one of Zuzu's wings, bringing the trio to a stop. Carlos and Luv sighed in relief. Zuzu looked up and gasped upon seeing their rescuer.

"Lucar!" the shiny Zubat cried.

"Hold on," he said.

The Riolu kept a tight grip on Zuzu's wing and started to pull them up. Once Zuzu was on solid ground, Lucar dragged both Luv and Carlos up. They took a rest on the stone floor of the room, overwhelmed by their near-death experiences.

"Thanks," Zuzu gasped.

"No problem," Lucar replied.

"Why is it so hot?" Luv wondered, too tired to lift her head and find out the answer for herself.

Carlos sat up and looked around. He gasped. "Fire!" he cried.

Lucar smiled, looking at his friend. "I guess Sunburst got sick of having her kingdom destroyed by Kadar," he said.

"I've got to help her!" Carlos wiped the blood from his chin and stood up.

"Go," the Riolu said. "I'll make sure Zuzu and Luv are okay. Sandra and Sunburst need your help."

"Thanks," Carlos smiled.

Turning toward the inferno that raged in front of him, the Pikachu dropped on all fours and waited. Seeing a gap in the flames, he shot forward with Quick Attack and dove through it just seconds before more fire filled in the gap. Once safely across, Carlos ran through the thick black smoke in search of his friends.

_In the center of the inferno…_

"Flamethrower!" Sunburst cried.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra yelled.

Kadar teleported away from where he was standing, avoiding both attacks at once. So far, he had only taken minor damage from the pair's attacks. He was still confident that he could win. That didn't mean he wasn't wary of possibly facing defeat.

_There's someone else here,_ the Kadabra thought, dodging a Quick Attack from Sandra. _Someone else aside from the princess and her Exploration Team bodyguards. Who could it be? It almost seems…familiar somehow. But from where?_

He wouldn't be able to keep teleporting around. The flames were obscuring his vision of his surroundings. If he wasn't careful, he could end up teleporting into his own death. He would have to actually fight soon.

"We almost have him!" Sandra realized.

"Good! This'll teach him to mess with my kingdom and dare to think he can get away with it!" Sunburst growled, the flames on her head and lower back growing even hotter.

Kadar suddenly stopped teleporting. He couldn't see anything beyond the flames. He was trapped.

"This is the end, Kadar!" Sunburst declared. "You've lost! Give up and _maybe_ your imprisonment time will be lowered."

"How about 'no', princess?" Kadar said. "I'm not nearly through with you. Take this!"

A ring of white energy orbs surrounded him. In quick succession, they shot in random directions. Sandra dodged most of them, only to be hit with a few that knocked her to the ground. Struggling to her paws, she soon noticed her fur felt…wet?

A loud scream made the Eevee bolt to her paws. Sunburst was curled up on the ground a few feet away, the flames on her body having been extinguished. Kadar smirked knowingly as he watched Sandra dash to the Quilava's side.

"Sunburst! Sunburst, are you okay?" Sandra cried.

"It…hurts…" Sunburst hissed, curling into an even smaller ball.

"Hidden Power," Kadar said, slowly walking toward the pair. "It can have a range of different effects depending on what type it is. It took me a long time to find one that was Water-type. As you can see, my patience was rewarded. Now to finish you off."

"You…" Sunburst growled, coughing.

Kadar pulled back his fist, aiming at Sandra. "Focus Pu—"

"Stay away from them!" a voice shouted.

Kadar barely had time to turn before Carlos dove through the flames on his right, crashing into the Psychic-type with Slam. The duo was sent flying away from Sunburst and Sandra. They quickly parted, sparks flying from Carlos' cheeks and psychic energy erupting from Kadar's body.

"You! But you're…?" Kadar yelped upon realizing who his foe was.

"Not dead," Carlos finished. "I made a promise to Sunburst to save her kingdom. I'm not planning on breaking that promise or any other promise I make!"

"We have a job to complete," Lucar agreed, jumping out of the surrounding flames to stand a short distance to Kadar's left. "And Team Legend does everything it can to complete our jobs."

"That's right!" Luv cried, emerging from the fire to stand behind Kadar.

"Yeah!" Zuzu nodded, flying over the flames to stand to Kadar's right.

Kadar looked at his four foes and frowned. "It doesn't matter how many of you there are. You're nothing compared to my power!" he shouted, electricity shooting from his fingertips.

"Everyone, attack now!" Carlos ordered. "Thunderbolt!"

"Rock Slide!" Lucar cried.

"Bubblebeam!" Luv yelled.

"Wing Attack!" Zuzu shouted.

The four attacks hit Kadar, yet the Kadabra refused to fall. "Take this!" he roared. "Shock Wave!"

Luv and Zuzu screamed as the Electric-type attack hit them, tossing them both away. Lucar and Carlos managed to hold their ground. Kadar panted for breath, glaring at his remaining two opponents.

Lucar shook off the numbness in his body, only to freeze as Kadar teleported right in front of him. The Kadabra lunged forward with Focus Punch, intent on finishing the Riolu off. Lucar quickly crossed his arms in front of himself, using Endure in a last ditch effort to survive the attack.

In a shadowy corner of the room, far from the flames that were engulfing everything burnable, a zippered mouth grinned.

Pain exploded through Kadar's arm, making him misdirect his strike and miss Lucar. Lucar, seeing that the Kadabra had left his chest unprotected, lunged with a Force Palm of his own. It connected, throwing Kadar backward a few feet. Kadar fell to his knees, tasting blood on his tongue.

_What…was that?_ Kadar thought. _Where did…that pain…come from?_

In the shadowy corner, Dusk grinned again as he lifted his needle. "Curse," he hissed, stabbing the needle through his chest. The Banette gritted his teeth as pain erupted from the wound, weakening him.

_/Dusk helped us so much with this battle. Without him, I think we actually might have lost. Kadar was stronger than all of us and we no longer had Mark to help us win. I guess this proves even bad guys can have good hearts. It's just too bad not everyone believes that, especially with what happens after Kadar's defeat./_

As Kadar struggled to his feet, pain exploded from his chest and forced him back to his knees. "Wha… What's happening?" he gasped, blood tricking from the corner of his mouth. "I… I can't…lose!"

"But you are losing, Kadar," a voice said.

Kadar looked up to see Sunburst had gotten to her feet, her flames burning anew. Lucar and Sandra had gone to take care of the injured Luv and Zuzu, leaving Carlos and Sunburst to deal with the Kadabra.

"You've lost, Kadar," Sunburst said firmly. "This time, there's no escape."

"If there's one thing you should know about me, princess, there's no such thing as 'no escape'." Kadar smirked. "Hidden Power!"

Sunburst yelped, leaping back. _I can't get hit by that again! It's too painful!_

Seeing some of the orbs flying toward her, she tried to shoot them down with Flamethrower. They did nothing to protect her. She crossed her arms in front of her face, trying to at least protect her head flame. She held her breath, waiting for the attacks to hit…and for the pain to start.

A few seconds passed and the Quilava opened her eyes, wondering why she wasn't in pain. Looking up, she gasped. Standing in front of her, arms held out and his back to her, was Carlos. Water dripped from his yellow fur and electricity shot from his red cheeks.

He turned to look over his shoulder at her. "Are you okay, Sunburst?" he asked.

Sunburst just stared in shock. _He saved me,_ she realized. A blush slowly crept across her cheeks.

_/Carlos has a big heart. He can forgive others for what they've done and would put himself in harm's way to protect those he cares about. It's no surprise everyone on our team has a story about him, whether it's when he saved them from some attack or when he forgave them for something others may dub unforgivable or when he just plain out treated them like a friend when no one else would. Maybe that's also why so many love him, like Sunburst and I./_

More pain erupted from Kadar's chest, nearly making him collapse. Breathing was becoming hard and he was starting to get dizzy. _Wha… What is going on? Where is this pain coming from?_

Sunburst got up and stood beside Carlos. "It looks like he's on his last legs! One more attack should do it!"

"Good," Carlos dropped down on all fours. "A Volt Tackle ought to be enough," he muttered.

"Kadar destroyed _my_ kingdom! I'm defeating him!" Sunburst argued.

"…How about we both do it?" Carlos suddenly asked.

"Huh? But how?" the Quilava asked.

"I'm going to use Quick Attack on him," Carlos explained. "When you see a ton of electricity, use Flamethrower. Aim it right at me."

"But I'll hurt you!" Sunburst cried.

"You won't! Trust me! I've done it before!" Carlos reassured.

"You have?" Sunburst asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. A memory of his time at the prison ran through his head.

"_This is the end for you, Jealousy!" Pyro cried._

"_No," Carlos said. "This is the end for you, for this prison, and for our imprisonment."_

"_As if!" Pyro laughed. "Say goodbye! Overheat!"_

_Carlos charged, running faster than he ever thought possible. As the Overheat approached, he sped up. Searing flames soon surrounded him, trying to roast him alive. The electricity around him fought back, keeping the flames at bay. After a few moments of running through a solid wall of flames, the Pikachu burst out of the other end and sped toward Pyro._

"_Volt Tackle!" Carlos shouted._

No way!_ Pyro thought, suddenly in a panic. She couldn't escape._

Carlos shook off the fear that flooded through him. _Sure, it was pure luck that time. Time to see if I can do it again,_ he thought.

Sunburst slowly nodded. "Okay… If you say so, Carlos,"

"Good," Carlos said.

The Pikachu charged, running the fastest he could with Quick Attack toward the weakened Kadar. Kadar struggled to call up even a tiny amount of energy but was unable to. Then he saw the electricity pouring from Carlos' cheeks, enveloping the Pikachu's entire body.

Kadar just stared in shock. _Wha… What is that? Just who is this Pikachu?_

"Now!" Carlos shouted.

"Flamethrower!" Sunburst cried, unleashing a blast of searing-hot flames.

The flames surged forward, wrapping around the electricity that surrounded Carlos. The temperature increased instantly, yet the flames could not touch him. The electricity kept the flames far enough away to stop Carlos from getting burned but close enough to make his Volt Tackle even more dangerous.

Carlos increased his speed, shooting toward Kadar in seconds. Then he leapt, closing the gap between himself and his opponent.

"FLAMING VOLT TACKLE!" Carlos yelled.

"No," Kadar whispered, unable to escape from the flaming ball of electricity that was quickly nearing him. _I…have lost,_ he realized, fear pouring through his veins.

Carlos crashed into Kadar, who screamed as he was burned and electrocuted at the same time. The force of the attack was so great that while Carlos flew to a stop almost immediately, Kadar was sent flying backward with enough force to destroy the wall behind him. The Kadabra couldn't even teleport away. He fell toward the ground far below without so much as even a scream.

Carlos panted for breath, the electricity returning to his cheeks and the flames falling to the floor around him. Luv, finally recovering from Kadar's Shock Wave, put out the flames in the room with Bubblebeam. Joy, Michael, and Blackie entered the room at Lucar's call. The group quickly surrounded Sunburst and Carlos.

"That was so cool, Sunburst!"

"How did you think of that, Carlos?"

"Kadar's defeated!"

"We saved the kingdom!"

"Hooray!"

After the congratulations were given, everyone was shocked when Urbana the Skarmory flew in through the hole in the wall that Kadar made. "Great job, guys! We won!" she cried.

"Urbana! You're okay!" Sunburst ran over, hugging the Steel-type.

"Did the others get here?" Sandra asked. "Team Shell Shock, Team Raptors, and Team Heroes?"

"They all made it!" Urbana nodded. "Kadar is being taken care of by Shappa and Manzur! Tooth and Claw are both under arrest, too!"

"What about Mark? And Teri?" Sunburst asked, suddenly afraid.

"They're okay," Urbana replied. "They're down on the ground with King Ty and Queen Floe. Quick, get on! The Skarmory Patrol will bring all of you to the ground!"

Kayle and the rest of the Skarmory Patrol arrived, all apologizing to Sunburst for what they had done. Sunburst forgave them, though reluctantly. The group climbed onto the Skarmory squadron's backs and was flown to the ground to reunite with their friends.

Dusk, who had stayed out of sight through the whole battle, stepped out of the shadows and watched them go. "That's one job finished," he said. "It's good to see you guys aren't as weak as last time, Team Legend. Now I just have one more loose end to tie up before I can leave this place."

He phased through the floor of the room, going off in search of the parents of the very Electrike he had unintentionally murdered so long ago.


	49. Chapter 48: Dusk's Trial

Chapter 48: Dusk's Trial

A few days passed after the battle. The palace and any surrounding buildings that had been damaged were repaired. Kadar, Tooth, and Claw were imprisoned for their crimes but Thrax, as he somehow always did, managed to escape from justice. Team Raptors, Team Heroes, and Team Shell Shock stayed to assist with repairs and to ensure Team Legend returned home safely.

The skies were clear on the day that the four Exploration Teams' were to leave the kingdom. The palace throne room was crowded with the ones who had fought to save the Northern Desert Kingdom from Kadar's evil plans. Standing in the center of the room, facing the thrones, was Team Legend and Princess Sunburst.

King Ty and Queen Floe were seated in their thrones. Sunburst left Carlos' side to sit in her own throne. Her eyes never left the Pikachu, though.

"Team Legend, I would like to sincerely thank you for all you have done for our kingdom," King Ty said. "Not only have you returned our daughter to us, but you have also gone to great lengths to defeat Kadar and save our kingdom. You have our eternal thanks, Team Legend."

"I agree," Queen Floe nodded. "Without your help, our daughter would be lost and our kingdom would be the first of what may have been many to fall due to Kadar's plans. Thank you, Team Legend."

Carlos smiled. "It's what we Exploration Teams do, right? We help others," he said. "I promised Sunburst I'd get her home safely. What was the point in leaving when her home was in danger? We had to do something. Not only were you guys in danger. Our teammates were, too."

The Pikachu looked at Joy, Michael, Luv, Zuzu, and Blackie. He was happy to see them all safe and sound. He turned back to Sunburst's parents.

"What Kadar was doing was wrong," Carlos continued. "There are separate kingdoms for a reason. If you were all combined into one…_mega kingdom_, that uniqueness could be lost. Your histories might mingle together and disappear, too."

"That's why peace treaties are made," Lucar added. "It allows your kingdom and others to get along with one another, yet keep your lands and histories separate."

"Kadar was trying to force all of you under his rule. You can't rule others like that," Sandra said. "A king and queen should be kind and willing to change if the people living in their kingdom want something changed. If you force it, then it's like a master and servant relationship. That's what Kadar was trying to do."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded, smiling at his teammates.

"Well said, Team Legend," King Ty commented. "Thank you once again for your help. I would like to reward you, along with the ones that assisted you."

Team Heroes, Team Raptors, and Team Shell Shock stepped forward. The four Exploration Teams stood side by side.

"As a reward for all of you saving our kingdom, I would like to reward each of you with 1 million poke each," King Ty said.

"That's so much!" KC squeaked, looking at his teammates. "I've never seen that much poke before!"

"Shhh!" Luffy hissed, smacking the Squirtle lightly on the head.

"Also, I would like t—"

King Ty was interrupted when the throne room doors were flung open, banging loudly against the stone walls. Everyone turned to see who had dared to interrupt the king, only to gasp in shock. Standing in the doorway was a pair of Manectric.

"Manzur! Shappa!" Queen Floe cried. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We have him, Your Highness! We have our son's murderer!" the male Manectric, Mazur, announced.

"He had the courage to dare appear before us after all this time!" the female Manectric, Shappa, growled. "He thought he could taunt us! Oh no! We caught him within seconds, Your Highness!"

Carlos looked at his teammates in fear. _Dusk! Could he have…?_

The two Manectric stepped aside, revealing the captured Banette. He was bound by the same type of handcuffs that he once wore in prison before the breakout Carlos had caused. They were handcuffs that stopped him from phasing through solid objects, using his powers, or summoning his needle. His red eyes held anger in them…along with fear.

"Is that…?" Sandra whispered.

"Dusk!" Lucar realized. "What's he doing here?"

"I…" Carlos couldn't get the words out. _He helped us. And now he's paying for it._

"Bring him forward!" King Ty ordered.

Manzur and Shappa shoved Dusk from behind, forcing him to move. Dusk grumbled under his breath, testing his cuffs from time to time. He couldn't get loose. He passed Team Legend, meeting Carlos' gaze briefly. The Ghost-type averted his eyes upon realizing he was staring at the Pikachu, but Carlos had noticed the look in his red eyes.

Dusk was scared. He was silently pleading for help.

_/Fear affects everyone, even the toughest souls. No one can escape from fear. Fear is what makes us wary. Fear ensures we do things the right way. Fear promises to lessen danger if we listen to it. Fear is one of the strongest feelings in the world. I've felt it many times. Everyone has. Fear drives us to do whatever it takes to avoid whatever fear is warning us about. And now…fear is what drives Dusk to look to us, his enemies, for help./_

Dusk was brought to stand in front of the four thrones that housed the monarchs of the Northern Desert Kingdom. King Ty and Queen Floe sat in the two thrones in the middle. Sunburst sat on the far right side. The throne to the far left side was empty.

"Dusk the Banette, I presume?" King Ty questioned.

Dusk made no move to answer. Shappa swiped at him with a paw, baring her teeth. Dusk flinched away but stayed quiet.

"This is indeed him, Your Highness!" Manzur replied after a while. "The scent is the exact same!"

"I trust your senses, Manzur," King Ty said. The Typlosion looked at Dusk again. "Dusk, you have evaded us for quite a long time. Yet here you are now. You escaped punishment for your crimes but justice has a way of forcing you to submit to punishment."

"If you're going to kill me, do it!" Dusk snapped. "I have come here for two things and two things only. The first has been completed. The second shall be completed here."

"What do you mean?" Queen Floe asked. "What two things have you come here to do?"

"Most likely to kill our second child," Shappa snarled. "Or any other unlucky child that crosses his path! Who knows how many he has killed since our oldest child?"

"I have killed none since then!" Dusk argued, glaring at the Manectric over his shoulder. "I never intended to kill at all! If it wasn't for me, your kingdom would be under Kadar's control!"

"Lies!" Manzur barked. "The Exploration Teams, Team Legend above all, rescued us!"

"You only bring death and destruction!" Shappa accused. "You must've caused Kadar to seize control! What a crafty thing you are!"

"No!" Dusk cried. "I have done no such thing!"

"Then who can vouch for you, Dusk?" King Ty asked. "You say you saved us. Do you have any witnesses? If so, call them out. Bring them forward."

"I… I…" Dusk lowered his head. "I…have none,"

Carlos just stared at the Banette in shock. _Dusk…is just giving up?_

"You claim that saving our kingdom was the first of two things you came here to do," Queen Floe said. "What is the second thing you came to do?"

"I came…to apologize," Dusk finally said. "I did not intend to kill the young Electrike. I was recently evolved. I did not know how to fight in my new form. I—"

"Liar!" Shappa howled. "You knew what you were doing! You kill Marion on purpose, you bloodthirsty fiend!"

"You stabbed our son through the heart with the wretched needle of yours!" Manzur roared. "You aimed precisely at his heart! How could you not know what you were doing?"

"I wasn't thinking!" Dusk shouted, closing his eyes. "I only thought of protecting myself! He struck first!"

"You lying—" Shappa lunged at Dusk, tears in her eyes. Her fangs erupted into flames. "Die!"

"Stop!" a voice yelled.

A yellow blur crashed into Shappa, throwing the Manectric away from Dusk. Dusk whirled around, red eyes wide in shock. Shappa coughed, shaking her head as she staggered to her feet. She bared her teeth at her attacker…and suddenly stared in confusion.

"You! Why are _you_ protecting _him_?" she demanded.

Carlos stood up from his place in front of Dusk. The Pikachu glared at Shappa, sparks flying from his cheeks. Sandra gasped and Sunburst stood up from her throne. Everyone looked at him, shock and confusion on their faces.

"Carlos, what are you doing?" Sunburst cried.

Carlos never broke gazes with Shappa. "Let him talk! All you're doing is butting in and calling him a liar!" he accused. "Why don't you listen to what he has to say? Doesn't Dusk deserve a fair trial?"

Mark shoved his way through the crowd of Pokemon. "Carlos! What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Giving Dusk a chance to talk," Carlos replied.

"Carlos…" Dusk whimpered. _He…saved me? Why?_

Mark suddenly blinked, realization hitting him. "Wait! Carlos, you have encountered Dusk a few times before from what you've told me! You speak now as if you know more than you've already told me."

"I…" Carlos looked at Dusk.

Dusk looked away before finally nodded. "Say what you will," he muttered. "My fate will remain the same regardless."

_Not if I can help it,_ Carlos vowed. He turned to look at Shappa and Manzur. "Yes, I have met Dusk before. The first time I met him, he kidnapped my friend, Sandra, and then attempted to kidnap me. I defeated him and he was sent to prison. Then I encountered Phantom Thief Jealousy, who turned into me and had me thrown into prison."

"She what?" Sunburst cried, clenching her fists in anger.

Carlos sighed. _I've never told anyone else this,_ he thought. "I met Dusk in prison," he continued. "He…told me he never meant to kill anyone. It was an accident."

"Li—" Shappa started, only to be silenced by King Ty's glare.

"Dusk helped me break out of prison," Carlos continued. "He and a lot of prisoners got out, too. I haven't seen him since…until now."

"I also have something to say!" Teri suddenly piped up. "Mark, I've got a confession. I didn't see an Aggron use the lift room. A voice in the wall told me about it. A voice that sounds just like that Banette's."

"Are you sure, Teri?" Mark asked, looking at the Buizel curiously. "You actually lied to me…and I believed it?"

"Uh…yeah," Teri nodded. "Sorry,"

"I, too, have something to say," Sunburst stood up from her throne again. "When I was about to melt the lock off of the box on the arena floor, I felt pain in my paw and the back of my neck. That pain led to me discovering the box hanging from the ceiling. As I recall, if a Banette stabs themselves with their own needle, that same pain will be inflicted upon a victim of their choosing."

"That is correct," Mark agreed.

"I realized something interesting during our fight with Kadar," Lucar pointed out. "When Kadar was about to punch me, he had perfect aim. Yet, for some reason, he jerked his arm away and missed me. I thought nothing of it before now."

"And you believe Dusk was behind that?" King Ty asked.

"Possibly," the blind Riolu replied. "There was something else. Kadar was weaker than he should've been when Carlos and Sunburst dealt the winning blow. He should've been down to half his health and yet…he seemed to be on the verge of passing out. It was like something was sapping his strength."

"You mean…as if someone used Curse on Kadar?" Mark suggested.

"Yes," Lucar nodded. "And who better to use Curse than a Banette?"

The entire room was silent, taking in all of the new information they had received. King Ty and Queen Floe looked at each other. Shappa and Manzur continued to glare at Dusk. Team Legend was fidgeting.

King Ty finally stood up from his throne and spoke. "Dusk, answer me truthfully. Were you behind any of these things that have been mentioned?"

"…Yes," Dusk nodded.

"If Dusk had not used Curse on Kadar, I fear we would have lost that fight," Lucar added. "Dusk helped us find the lift and our friends."

"Then you truly have helped save our kingdom," King Ty said. "Then the first of your two reasons for returning here…is true."

"I only ask for forgiveness," Dusk muttered. "Nothing more. I do not want this guilt to control me anymore."

"So what if you help save our kingdom? You still killed my baby!" Shappa shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I repeat, he struck me first. I retaliated. It was an accident." Dusk said through grit teeth.

"Liar!" Manzur roared. "Our son knows not to attack defenseless Pokemon! He does not attack unless he is attacked!"

"Then obviously, your son has been disobeying you behind your back!" Dusk snapped.

"Our son would never—"

"Mom, stop! Please!" An Electrike broke through the crowd, sliding to a stop in front of Shappa and Manzur. "Mom, he's right!"

"Don't get involved with things that don't concern you, dear," Shappa said.

"No, listen! He's right!" the Electrike cried. "Marion always did that! He only followed the rules to make you happy! He was a bully when you weren't around, mom!"

"Tito, go back to your room!" Shappa growled.

"Why would you say such things, Tito? This is your brother we're talking about!" Manzur reminded.

"Because it's the truth, dad!" the Electrike, Tito, cried.

"Wait a sec!" Lucar interrupted. He looked at Tito. "Don't we know you? Your aura is familiar."

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Tito nodded. "I heard you guys were here! That's why I came running! You escorted me on a mission before!"

"We did?" Carlos looked at Sandra.

"I remember!" the Eevee suddenly cried. "It was through Drenched Bluff, right?"

"Yeah!" Tito nodded. "I'm not so weak anymore!"

Carlos gasped in shock as a memory hit him.

_Sandra led the way out of the guild and toward the crossroads, where a clearly-excited Electrike was waiting. "Hi there! We're Team Legend."  
"Hi! I'm Tito!" the Electrike greeted. "You guys are exploring with me to Drenched Bluff, right? Let's have fun with this!"_

Another memory came just as fast.

"_What the…? How did I do that?" Carlos asked.  
"That must have been Thundershock, a beginning move that Pikachu can learn." Lucar explained. "You must've done it instinctively in order to protect Tito from that Lileep. But…it seemed stronger than a normal Thundershock." The Riolu tapped his chin in thought.  
"Who cares? That was awesome, man!" Tito cried. "I can't wait until I can do that, too! All I can do is paralyze them with Thunder Wave."_

A third memory hit him right after that.

_Blue electricity crashed into the Lileep, paralyzing it. Carlos unleashed his Thundershock, defeating it but harming Sandra in the process. The Eevee yelped as she hit the ground.  
"Sandra, are you okay?"  
Sandra looked up and saw Carlos standing in front of her. She nodded and shakily stood up. "I'm okay. Thanks."  
"I helped, too!" Tito boasted. "I paralyzed it and let Carlos beat it! Who's the man? I'm the man! Oh yeah!"  
"He's pretty…prideful." Lucar noted. "Sandra, are you sure you're okay?"  
"Yeah," Sandra nodded._

Then a fourth memory came.

_Team Legend's badges suddenly started glowing with brilliant white light. As the four Pokemon covered their eyes, their feet left the ground and they were hurtled forward. They then crashed to the ground in a heap.  
"Ugh…what happened?" Carlos asked, rubbing his head.  
"How should I know?" Tito asked from somewhere below the Pikachu. "Get off, man! You're heavy!"  
"My tail! Lucar, get up!" Sandra cried from somewhere to Carlos' left.  
"I'll get up once Carlos gets off of my arm," Lucar replied._

At last, one final memory came to him.

"_Now that we're back, what are our rewards?" Lucar asked.  
"I'm sorry that it isn't much, but…here." Tito pushed forward a Yellow Gummi. "It's all I've got."  
"It's okay, Tito." Sandra replied. "The exploration was fun. That's what matters."  
"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks again, Team Legend!" Tito climbed up the ladder and left the guild._

The Pikachu shook his head once the memories stopped coming. "Yeah! I remember you!" he cried.

"Yay! It's great to see you again, Team Legend!" Tito exclaimed.

"Tito!" Shappa snapped, catching her son's attention again. "I demand you stop spouting that stuff this instant! Your brother was one of the obedient, loyal—"

"Meanest!" Tito added. "All he cared about was getting stronger, no matter whom he happened to walk on in order to get stronger!"

"Tito!" Shappa snarled warningly.

"ENOUGH!" King Ty roared. "Tito, is what you say true?"

"Yeah! But…I've got no proof," the Electrike admitted sadly.

"I think all the proof we'll ever need in the memories of these two," a gentle voice said.

Carlos, Dusk, and Tito turned around to see Garde of Team Raptors approaching them. The Gardevoir smiled at them gently.

"What do you mean by that?" Carlos asked.

"Being a Psychic-type, I can easily dive into the minds of anyone I choose and expose their memories to others," Garde explained. "I can only do this if the owner of the memories permits me to do so, though."

"If it means proving I'm right, then yeah!" Tito cried.

"And you, Dusk?" Garde asked, looking at the Banette. "If you allow me to, I can show everyone here what happened that day. It'll be Marion's death from your point of view. Shappa and Manzur will have to relive it, but maybe they'll learn the truth about their son in doing so."

Dusk looked away. "…Fine," he grumbled. "But that's all you get to see. Nothing about my personal life or anything! That's mine and mine alone, got it?"

"Understood," Garde nodded.

"So, what do we do?" Carlos asked.

"Tito and Dusk, please step forward," Garde requested. "Everyone else, please step back. I'll need some room."

Tito and Dusk stepped forward, Tito happily and Dusk reluctantly. Everyone else backed away, though Team Raptors stayed close. Garde looked over her shoulder and smiled at Horus reassuringly. The Blaziken nodded, backing away with the rest of his teammates.

"Now then, this shouldn't hurt," Garde reassured, resting a hand on Tito and Dusk's foreheads and closing her eyes. "If anything, it'll feel like you're both dreaming. When I'm through exposing your memories, you'll be released from my power and be allowed to step away. I'll show Tito's memories first and then Dusk's."

"Okay!" Tito cried.

"Whatever," Dusk muttered, averting his eyes.

"All right then, here we go," Garde said.

A blue glow surrounded the trio almost instantaneously. Tito and Dusk's eyes drifted shut. A large cloud of energy began to build up above Garde's head. The Psychic-type began to hum softly as the cloud grew larger.

The cloud was soon as big as the ceiling of the throne room. Garde smiled, her eyes remaining closed.

"Now then, I shall show Tito's memories of his older brother, Marion," she announced.

The cloud began to glow brightly. Suddenly, an image appeared within it. It was a pair of Electrike, dashing across the sands of the Northern Desert Kingdom…


	50. Chapter 49: Memories and Truth

Chapter 49: Memories and Truth

_It was hot that day in the kingdom. Most of the Pokemon, however, were used to the heat. The Rock-types and the Ground-types continued their daily work. The Steel-types kept to the shadier parts of the kingdom, carrying on with their duties._

_The Fire-types were out and about, enjoying the heat. They were the only type who could stand running around across the scorching hot sand. The heat didn't bother them. If anything, it gave them more energy to work or play._

_Standing near the doorway of the palace, a Manectric watched her two cubs wrestling and rolling in the sand. The palace's shadow extended over them, keeping them cool. She smiled, pride shining in her eyes._

_Another Manectric approached her, sitting by her side. "Shappa, it's time we got back to work," he said._

"_But Manzur, the ki—"_

"_They'll be fine," Manzur interrupted. "We have a duty to the king and queen. Marion and Tito will be fine."_

"_Are you sure?" Shappa asked, nervousness creeping into her voice._

"_I promise," Manzur nuzzled his wife gently before turning his attention to his children. "Marion! Tito!"_

"_Yes, dad?" the pair chorus, bounding over._

"_Your mother and I have to return to work," Manzur explained. "You two are free to explore the kingdom, but I have some ground rules to set. Marion, you're in charge. Watch over Tito."_

"_Understood, dad," the bigger Electrike, Marion, nodded._

"_Good," Manzur said. "Remember, do not go past the kingdom gates or the surrounding wall. If you get locked out there by the Aggron guards, we'll have to send the Skarmory Patrol to bring you back."_

"_Right, dad," the smaller Electrike, Tito, muttered. He still had the memories of the last time they dared to venture beyond the kingdom wall etched into his mind. _Boy, was mom mad at us after that,_ he thought._

"_Good," Manzur sighed in relief. "You are to return within four hours. By then, the sun should be setting."_

"_Also, don't get into trouble," Shappa quickly added. "Don't talk to strangers. Don't bother anyone. Don—"_

_Manzur nudged his wife, silencing her. "I believe they get the point, dear,"_

"_Yes… You're right," Shappa nodded. She reached down to nuzzle her sons briefly. "Well then… Off you go!"_

"_Hooray!" Marion and Tito dashed away happily._

_Shappa shuddered as her sons vanished from sight. "Do they think they'll be okay?" she asked._

"_They'll be fine, Shappa. Don't worry." Manzur reassured. "What could possibly go wrong?"_

"_Many things," Shappa replied._

_Manzur sighed. "Shappa, relax. Marion knows how to fight. If anything truly bad happens, Marion will deal with it."_

_Shappa smiled, relaxing. "You're right," she admitted. "Marion will protect Tito. They'll be fine."_

"_Indeed, they will be," Manzur led his wife into the palace to continue with their jobs, unaware of the trouble their sons would get into._

_Near the front gates…_

"_Here we are!" Marion announced. "You can open your eyes, Tito."_

_Tito opened his eyes, which he had kept closed under Marion's orders. He gasped when he saw the monstrous double doors of the front gates before them. "Marion, what are we doing here? We got in trouble last time!"_

"_I told you before, Tito, I want to get stronger," Marion replied coldly. "Come on! Before the guards get back!"_

"_N… No!" Tito cried._

"_What did you say?" Marion whipped around to glare at his younger brother._

"_I said no! Last time, you blamed me for why we were beyond the front gates! Not again!" Tito barked._

_Just as Marion was about to yell, a loud rumbling sounded. "Crud!" the older Electrike cursed. "The guards are back!" He glared at Tito. "Fine! Stay here! But you'll get in trouble if the guards find you here, anyway!" He ran through the crack in the Steelix skin gates._

_Tito felt his courage deflate instantly. There was no time to run away without the Aggron guards seeing him. "Grrrr! Darn it, Marion!" He dashed after his older brother. "I'm not taking the blame this time!"_

"_Fine, whatever!" Marion cried._

_Tito glared at Marion's back. _He's lying…again! _Tito thought angrily._

_The pair kept running until they nearly reached the edge of the vast quicksand pits that prevent a direct path from the Northern Desert mystery dungeon to the Northern Desert Kingdom's front gates. Marion smirked, beginning his search. Tito reluctantly followed him, not wanting to be left behind._

"…_There!" Marion grinned as he lunged toward an Ekans that was slithering nearby. "Take this! Thunder Wave!"_

_The Ekans hissed, its body writhing as its muscles locked with due to the paralysis. Marion then used Quick Attack and Spark to knock it out. While Marion raced away to find other unfortunate Pokemon to defeat, Tito stayed behind for a moment._

"_I'm sorry," he whimpered before following his brother, leaving the Ekans behind in the burning-hot desert sun._

_Marion defeated many Pokemon that day. Some among them were Dunsparce, Spearow, Cacnea, Skorupi, Sandshrew, and Trapinch. After each battle, Tito would apologize to their unconscious forms._

_The sun began to set when the Skarmory Patrol arrived to pick them up. Upon returning to the palace, Tito could already tell that their parents were angry. He didn't need to see their faces to know that._

"_You were behind the gates… You were beyond the wall…" Manzur growled. "Why?"_

"_It was because Ma—" Tito started, only to be cut off by his older brother._

"_It was Tito's fault, dad. He just doesn't get the meaning of the word 'no'." Marion said. "I told him, I even tried to stop him, but he was past the gates before I could say another word. I don't see what's so interesting out there, honestly."_

"_What? That's no—" Tito started, only to be cut off once more. This time, it was by his father._

"_Tito, I'm disappointed in you," Manzur said firmly. "Marion, it was very brave of you to go after him. I'm proud of you."_

"_You told me to watch him," Marion reminded with a smile._

"_Indeed, I did," Manzur nodded. He frowned at Tito. "Tito, go back to your room. You will go without dinner tonight as punishment."_

"_But I didn—"_

"_GO!" Manzur roared._

_Tito whimpered before creeping away, tail between his legs in shame. Marion smirked after his younger brother. Tito glared at him. _I knew it,_ Tito thought. _I knew he was lying to me.

_Everyday, the exact same thing happened. Marion would bring Tito beyond the front gates, battle innocent Pokemon, and then blame Tito for all of it once they were home. Tito would be punished, either by cleaning the armory, missing dinner, or sitting in a corner for an hour to 'think about what he had done'. All the while, Marion would train alongside his father to become a palace guard._

_Then came the day when Tito was forced to stay home with his mother as a punishment. Marion went to the front gates by himself and headed out to train. He stuck a large rock between the gates so he could get back into the kingdom before sunset. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be coming back._

_Tito would tell Shappa and Manzur that Marion was the one to blame. He would tell them about Marion's training. His parents wouldn't believe him until Marion couldn't be found anywhere in the kingdom. By the time Shappa and Manzur would go beyond the gate to find Marion, it would already be too late…_

The glow around Tito disappeared, allowing the Electrike to open his eyes and back away. Everyone was staring at the cloud in shock. Shappa and Manzur looked at each other, confused and lost.

"Now do you see?" Garde asked, her eyes remaining closed. "You chose to deem everything Tito said to you a lie."

"That… That can't be," Manzur said. "Marion wouldn't…"

"He did," Garde replied. "Marion seems to be a manipulative child. He pretended to be the obedient little boy you wanted but, in reality, he did whatever he pleased. You trusted every word he said."

"Marion… He seemed like the perfect son," Shappa whispered. "He was like a blessing…and Tito was a curse."

"In reality, it was Marion that was the curse and Tito was the blessing." Garde finished. "Marion had your views of him so twisted that you were no longer in control. He was in control. He could do whatever he pleased…"

"…While Tito took the blame for it all," Manzur realized.

"And when you lost Marion, it seemed like you lost everything," Garde said. "Nothing mattered anymore. You continued with your duties out of habit and loyalty. You cared for Tito out of commitment. Yet none of it mattered while your 'perfect' son's murderer was still on the loose. You were so obsessed with capturing Dusk that what Tito had told you previously of Marion's training didn't register to you. All that did was the need for revenge."

_/Manipulation is a cruel thing to do, especially if it's to someone close to you, like your friends. But doing it to your family is just too much! How could someone possibly do that and live with themselves? But still…some people just can. It's sad to think the one person in the whole world that you trust could just do that to you and you'd never know it./_

"See, mom?" Tito returned to his parents. "I didn't do all of those things. Marion did, not me."

Tears welled up in Shappa's eyes. "Tito… I'm so sorry!" She hugged the Electrike close, crying. "I'm sorry, Tito!"

"Tito… I…apologize…for everything," Manzur said, holding back tears. "Can you ever forgive us?"

"Of course! You're my parents!" Tito cried. "You didn't know. You're all I have left now. If I didn't trust you, I don't know what I'd do."

"Thank you," Manzur said, a tear running down his right cheek. "Thank you…Tito."

"Now that we have proven Marion's real personality true, we must see if Dusk's claims about Marion's murder being accidental are true," Garde announced.

"Oh no, please no!" Shappa cried. "I can't! Not again!"

"We must," Manzur said. "We must see what Marion may have done. No matter how manipulative he was, he was still our son. We must see if his death was accidental…or not." He sent a glare toward Dusk.

"Agreed," Garde nodded. "Even if he was manipulative of you both, he was still your son. And no child deserves to die so young. Dusk, it is time to show your memories. Ready?"

"Just get it over with," Dusk grumbled.

The cloud above their heads began to glow brightly again, an image forming within it.

_Dusk gasped for breath. He was sweating bullets. "Why is it so hot?" he wondered, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun._

_He had recently evolved from a Shuppet to a Banette. He was still getting used to having arms and legs. Walking was so strange. He enjoyed levitating more._

_He looked at the long silver needle held in his left hand. It had simply appeared the moment he had evolved. He still didn't know what it was for._

_He had battled his way through the Northern Desert in order to gain experience, managing to evolve during the last few floors of the mystery dungeon. Dusk was proud of himself for both defeating a whole mystery dungeon by himself and managing to evolve. Now all he had to do was turn around and head home._

"_How can anyone stand this heat?" he muttered to himself, turning back toward the mystery dungeon._

"_Spark!" a voice cried._

"_Huh? Wh—AAAAAAAAH!" Dusk screamed._

_Electricity hit him square in the back, engulfing the Ghost-type in pain. Dusk crashed to his knees when the pain ended, looking over his shoulder to see his attacker. It was a young Electrike with a cocky smirk on his face. Dusk gripped the needle tighter in his hand._

"_Wow! A Banette! I've never seen one around here before!" the Electric-type cried._

_For a moment, Dusk wondered if the Electrike was really his attacker and not some passerby. That thought disappeared the moment that cocky grin reappeared on the Electrike's muzzle._

"_Defeating you should make me loads stronger! Thunder Wave!" he cried._

_Dusk yelped as the blue electricity hit him, locking up his muscles. He struggled to move. The Electrike lunged…only to pass through him!_

"_Huh?" Then Dusk smirked. "I'm a Ghost-type, kid! Normal-type moves don't work on me!"_

"_Crud! I forgot about that!" the Electrike cursed. "Take this then! Spark!"_

_Dusk's muscles unlocked briefly, allowing him to throw a Shadow Ball to counter the Electric-type attack. A small explosion ensued. Dusk jumped away as the Electrike burst through the smoke, trying to catch him. Dusk tossed a few more Shadow Balls, some succeeding in hitting the Electric-type, before his muscles locked again._

_Another Spark hit Dusk and he bit back a cry. Both Pokemon were exhausted. The Electrike smirked at him._

"_You're good. I've never had an opponent out here fight back," the Electrike said. "I'm Marion. Who are you?"_

"_Dusk," the Banette replied._

"_Dusk… Prepare to lose!" Marion cried._

_Just as Marion leaped at Dusk, the Ghost-type saw a pair of Manectric racing toward them. Dusk backed up, suddenly afraid. Fighting an Electrike was one thing but two Manectric was something else entirely._

_Backing up another step, intent on fleeing, Dusk yelped as one of his feet landed in a shallow hole in the ground. He pitched backward, hands flying forward as he fell onto his back. He opened his eyes to see Marion about to land on him, electricity shooting across his green and yellow fur. Unable to summon a Shadow Ball to knock the Electrike off course, Dusk raised his hands._

_Marion screamed as something sharp pierced his chest. Blood flooded into his mouth. Pain… There was so much pain. He didn't get it._

"_MARION!" a pair of voices howled._

"_M…Mom…? D…Dad…?" Marion whimpered._

_Dusk felt something wet dripped onto his arms and face. Opening his eyes, he gasped. The Electrike had impaled himself on the needle, which had remained clutched in Dusk's hand throughout the entire battle. And the wet stuff…was the Electric-type's blood. Dusk already knew what he had done…and he was scared._

_He carefully rolled onto his side, resting Marion's bleeding form on the sand next to him. He quickly pulled the needle out, staring at the injury he had caused. A single look told him everything._

_Marion was dying…and Dusk had been the one to kill him._

"_Get away from my baby!" a loud voice cried._

_Dusk jumped away, barely escaping a blast of electricity. He quickly distanced himself from Marion, staring in terror as the two Manectric reached him. Both Electric-types snarled angrily at him, tears shining in their eyes._

"_D…Dusk…" Marion squeaked. "W…Why…?"_

"_You monster! How could you?" the female Manectric demanded, tearing running down her cheeks. "My baby! My poor, sweet, innocent baby!"_

"_I…I…" Dusk couldn't speak, just staring at the needle grasped in his hand as if it wasn't his. "I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't—"_

"_Enough! You have taken the life of my beloved son!" the male Manectric barked, enraged. "For that, you shall pay!"_

"_Wait! I—AAAAAH!" Pain racked Dusk's body as he was hit with a powerful blast of electricity. He screamed the loudest he ever had in his life._

"_You will never walk this world an innocent Pokemon, Dusk! I will ensure you suffer as my son has suffered!" the male Manectric declared. "Flee! Flee from here and never return, scum! Wherever you go, bad luck and death will follow!"_

"_NOOOOO!" Dusk screamed as more electricity hit him. His vision soon faded to white as the pain overwhelmed him…_

Dusk was relieved when the glow around him vanished, setting him free. He stumbled backward, the chains attached to his cuffs clanking loudly. The Banette shivered. It had been so long since he revisited that memory.

Shappa buried her face in Manzur's fur, crying. Tito, finally seeing his older brother's death for the first time, hid behind his father's forelegs. Tears ran down his cheeks.

The entire room was silent once more. King Ty was the one to break that silence.

"It all was truly an unfortunate accident," the Typhlosion said. "All you ask for is forgiveness, Dusk?"

"Yes," Dusk nodded, not daring to look at the king.

"Shappa, Manzur," Queen Floe said, looking at the two Manectric. "Will you grant his wish for forgiveness?"

"…Yes," Manzur nodded.

"Regardless, a crime is a crime. Accident or no, Dusk still murdered Marion." King Ty reminded. "For that, Dusk must still be submitted to punishment."

"Do whatever you want to me," Dusk offered. "Jail, torture, labor… I don't care. I just want to forget about this and move on."

_/Even minor crimes have to have a punishment. Before all of this, Dusk would've faced a long sentence in jail. Now that the truth was out, I'm glad Dusk's punishment changed. That doesn't mean he'll like it any better but still…/_

"Let us bring him back to Treasure Town for punishment," Horus Blazer requested, looking at King Ty and Queen Floe. "He could do community service there. Many of Treasure Town's buildings were decimated by Tooth and Claw. He could help us fix those."

"Dual community service," Garde suddenly said. "He caused both Treasure Town and the Northern Desert Kingdom trouble. He should assist with the repairs in both areas."

"I don't see how a Banette can help repair buildings," Manzur commented.

"Dusk could phase through walls and stuff to see if it's safe to move debris," Lucar explained. "He could also locate any Pokemon that might be trapped in the rubble."

"A majority of the damage here has already been repaired," King Ty noted. "Regardless, the punishment seems suitable. Bring him back to Treasure Town and keep us posted about him. If he causes trouble, we'll help keep him in line."

"Thank you," Horus said. The Blaziken respectfully bowed to the king. "We'll bring him with us immediately."

"Do what you must," King Ty said. "This trial…is over!"

Most of the Pokemon in the room left, leaving only a few Pokemon in the room. As Team Legend began to leave, Sunburst suddenly stood up from her throne.

"Could Team Legend remain behind? I have something to say to them," the Quilava requested.

The rest of the room quickly emptied, leaving only Sunburst, her parents, and Team Legend in the throne room. King Ty and Queen Floe looked at their daughter in confusion. Sunburst sighed, stepping down from her throne to join Team Legend on the throne room floor.

"I know this may seem sudden, but…" Sunburst looked away, blushing. "I want to personally reward you for both bringing me home…_and_ saving my kingdom from Kadar."

"It was nothing, honest," Carlos took Sunburst's hands in his, smiling. "That's what friends are for. If you ever need help again, you can come to us. We'll be there."

Sunburst blushed even more. "Actually…you won't need to come here if I need help, Carlos."

"Huh? How come?" Carlos asked.

"Because…I want you to…" Sunburst took a deep breath and looked at Team Legend, not just at Carlos. "I want you all to give up being an Exploration Team."

"What?" Lucar yelped.

"Why would you want us to do that?" Sandra asked, nervous.

"Because…I want you all to stay here," Sunburst said. "I want you all to be my personal bodyguards."


	51. Chapter 50: Sunburst's Decision

Chapter 50: Sunburst's Decision

"What a splendid idea, Sunburst! I'm sure Team Legend will make excellent bodyguards!" King Ty declared.

"Agreed," Queen Floe said. "Such brave souls, you all are."

"Sunburst, I'd love to accept your offer…" Carlos said, looking away. "But…"

"Huh?" Sunburst looked at the Pikachu in confusion.

"…I can't." Carlos finally said. "I'm sorry, Sunburst. I just can't accept your offer."

"What? But why?" Sunburst asked. "You'll be paid greatly, you'll be taken care of, you'll—"

"It's not that," Carlos interrupted. "I don't doubt that you'll treat us well here, Sunburst. It's just that…staying here won't help me find my memories. Or help me find out how I ended up like this."

King Ty and Queen Floe looked at each other in confusion. Sunburst, on the other hand, understood what he meant immediately.

_Sunburst looked up at Carlos. "You're a human?" she asked.  
"I was, but I'm a Pikachu now." Carlos explained, not meeting the princess' gaze. "I don't know how it happened. I can't remember anything aside from my name and that I was human."_

Another memory came to the Quilava.

_Sunburst sighed. "I'm confused about your claim, Carlos. Humans died out hundreds of years ago. If you really are a human, how did you survive to this day? The human lifespan only reaches to a hundred years, give or take a few years."  
"I…don't know," Carlos said. "There's a lot I don't know, so I can't answer things like that. I'm looking for the answers, though. Maybe if I get my memories back, I'll know all of that."_

Carlos reached out and took Sunburst's hands in his. "I'm really sorry, Sunburst. Maybe if I didn't have all of these…problems, I'd accept…but I do, so I can't. I'll visit, though."

"We all will," Joy added.

"All of us have things we've got to do. We became explorers for a reason." Carlos looked at his friends. "Right, guys?"

"I wanted to become an explorer so I could go to new places and solve mysteries," Sandra said. "My sister went missing a while ago, so I'm hoping that maybe I'll find her and her teammates someday on our journeys."

"I was dragged along at first with these two," Lucar threw an arm around Carlos and Sandra's shoulders. "Now I'm getting stronger that I ever thought I could. I want to prove that you can strong and not need to see."

"My son was kidnapped by Thrax," Joy explained. "I joined Team Legend in order to find him. I haven't yet…but I've been helping to raise Michael."

Michael giggled, hugging the Raichu happily. Joy patted him on the head, smiling fondly.

"I know one day I'll find my son," Joy said sadly. "Until then, I refuse to give up."

_All of them…have a reason for being explorers…_ Sunburst realized. _No matter how dangerous it gets, they continue on…because they each want to achieve something…_

"Thrax was trying to kidnap me before I joined Team Legend," Luv said. "Carlos and his friends were the first to show me true friendship ever since my family was destroyed by…that Feraligatr…" She began to tremble, tears welling up in her eyes.

Zuzu patted the Piplup on the back gently. "There, there, Luv…" she said.

The Piplup wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. "I want to help my friends in any way possible. I don't want to lose them…"

"I joined out of curiosity," Zuzu said with a smile. "I was kicked out of my colony because I stuck out too much with my coloring. I helped Carlos get back to Treasure Town twice during the whole Phantom Thief Jealousy fiasco. He seemed like a nice guy who cared for his friends, so I decided to join them. It's been a wild ride so far but, hey, it's been fun. And I've got friends now!"

Luv laughed, hugging the shiny Zubat. Zuzu hugged her back.

"I don't remember much about my life before joining Team Legend," Blackie said nervously. "From what I've been told, I used to be a minion of Thrax's. I lost my memory somehow, though. I don't know why I'd serve Thrax. I like it with my new friends. Everyone's nice. I want to help in any way I can."

"See, Sunburst? All of us want to help others." Carlos smiled. "We all have something important we want to do. If we didn't have that, maybe we'd stay here. But we can't. As I said before, we'll visit. I promise."

"Carlos…" Tears sprung up in the Quilava's eyes. _I wanted him to stay…but if he does, he'll never find out why he came here. I have to let him go…even if I don't want to._ She took a choked breath. "Okay…"

"Sorry," Carlos hugged Sunburst. "It was fun. We'll drop by sometimes."

"Okay…" Sunburst hugged him back. _Maybe…could I…?_ "Carlos?"

"Yeah?" Carlos pulled away. "What is it, Sunburst?"

"If you can't stay with me…" Sunburst looked the Pikachu in the eye and smiled. "Then I'll just have to stay with you!"

"Huh?" Sandra yelped.

"What do you…?" Lucar started, only to trail off as an idea hit him. "Do you mean…?"

Sunburst turned away from the shocked Exploration Team, looking at her parents. "Mother, Father, I want to join Team Legend. I hereby give up my title as princess of the Northern Desert Kingdom!" she declared.

"Sunburst, do you know what you're saying?" King Ty demanded, standing up.

"You want to leave? But, dear—" Queen Floe cried.

"Yes, I want to leave." Sunburst interrupted her mother. "I've been in this kingdom my entire life. The only time I've ever left was when Kadar had me kidnapped. Yes, it was scary at first when I realized I was not home…but Carlos and his teammates helped me to return home. And now I want to see what else may lie beyond the stone walls of this place."

"It's dangerous out there, dear!" Queen Floe argued. "You'll get hurt!"

"That's why I will join Team Legend," Sunburst explained. There was no hesitance in her voice, only determination. "I want to see what's out there. I want to be able to fight and get stronger without knowing that my victories are always guaranteed. I want to help others and make friends."

"Sunburst…" King Ty looked away. "…Absolutely not! I will not allow this!"

"But Fathe—" Sunburst cried, only to be cut off by him.

"No! My decision is fi—" King Ty shouted, but he was suddenly interrupted by a new voice.

"Just let her go," the voice said. "If she wants to see the world, then let her. If you deny her that right, she'll just sneak out on her own. You know that no amount of guards can keep her in."

Everyone turned to the throne room doors, which had been opened without them noticing. The doors were slowly closed by a pair of Aggron. The visitor stepped forward, leaving the shadows behind and entering the light. King Ty and Queen Floe gaped in surprise. Sunburst stared in shock before her eyes lit up in joy.

"Brother!" the Quilava cried, dashing toward the bigger Quilava. "You're back!"

The other Quilava braced himself as his little sister dove into his arms, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back before gently prying her off of him, walking toward the thrones. Team Legend stepped aside, allowing the prince the pass. He tugged at the collar of the sandy brown cloak he wore. As he passed, Carlos noticed that there were three scars across his right cheek.

"Qwil! You've returned!" Queen Floe left her throne, embracing her son. "Thank goodness! So much happened while you were gone! You won't believe it at all!"

The older Quilava, Qwil, smiled. "We'll see if I believe it or not, Mother," he replied.

"How did business with the Miracle Sea Kingdom go?" Queen Floe asked, positively giddy with excitement. "Did you accept Princess Cherry's marriage proposal?"

"I…" Qwil looked away. "Sorry, Mother, but… No."

"No? Why didn't you?" Queen Floe asked, baffled. "She's a charming young Skitty. She's beautiful, she's kind, she's—"

"Clingy and possessive beyond all belief," Qwil cut in. "Mother, I admit she was nice…at first. After the marriage proposal was announced, she wouldn't let any girls near me. She was practically glued to my arm through the whole trip. I managed to ensure positive relations between our kingdoms remained strong but…I just couldn't marry her. I'm sorry, Mother."

Queen Floe sighed. "I had so hoped for a marital union between our two kingdoms," she commented softly, looking at the floor. "I guess it was never meant to be."

_/As much as I hate to say it, we'd be meeting Princess Cherry eventually. Not for a long while, but eventually. She's everything Qwil said…and more. If I had to choose between Princess Cherry and Sunburst, I'd pick Sunburst. I don't hate Princess Cherry but… I can't explain it. Sorry./_

"Qwil," King Ty said, catching his son's attention. "Why did you say what you said when you entered?"

"Because it's true, Father," Qwil replied, stepping away from his mother. "You let me go out to see the world."

"That's because you're older, Qwil! You're more independent!" King Ty argued. "Sunburst is next in line to the throne of this kingdom."

"Well, it's obvious she no longer wants to be next in line to the throne." Qwil pointed out. "Sunburst may be young but she's independent. If I can survive out there, then so can she. And, it's like she said, she won't be alone. She'll have these guys with her." He indicated Team Legend.

"Are you saying I should just let Sunburst go and leave our kingdom without an heir?" King Ty demanded.

"Yes…and no," Qwil replied. "Yes to letting Sunburst go but no to leaving our kingdom without an heir. Sunburst can handle herself out there. Being stuck in the kingdom until she becomes queen will drive her insane now that she's had a taste of the outside world. Let her go and see that world. It's not like you'll never see her again."

"And what of our kingdom's heir?" King Ty asked.

"I'll be the heir," Qwil said. "I don't like running around and visiting other kingdoms. I'm more comfortable staying somewhere familiar, like home."

"Are you certain about this, Qwil? Once you accept becoming the next heir, you'll be stuck in the kingdom until you become king." King Ty warned.

"That's fine by me," Qwil replied with a smirk. "Let Sunburst have fun with her friends outside the kingdom gates. It's obvious that's what she wants now."

"Qwil…" Sunburst stared at her older brother in shock. _He'd give up all of his traveling…just to make sure I'd be able to stay with Carlos? Why?_

"Besides…" Qwil looked at Sunburst. "That's what big brothers are for."

Tears welled up in Sunburst's eyes. "Big brother…" She ran over and hugged him, fighting against the urge to cry.

_/Seeing that made me remember my older sister, Lune. I never realized how much she used to give up for me when she was around. When she disappeared, all I had was her knowledge of exploration…and my memories of her. Siblings are something to be cherished. Not everyone has them. Be thankful if you do. You never know when they'll suddenly vanish from your life…and if they'll ever pop back in it again./_

"Sunburst, are you certain you wish to do this?" Queen Floe asked, returning to the situation at hand.

"Yes, Mother," Sunburst nodded, pulling away from Qwil. "I'm certain."

_Nobody seems to be asking us whether we'll accept her or not,_ Lucar noted.

As if reading his mind, Sunburst suddenly turned back to the Exploration Team. "Would it be okay if I joined you, Carlos?" she asked.

"Well…" Carlos scratched his head in thought. "It'll be a lot of work."

"I'm ready for that," Sunburst said.

"You'll have to fight wild Pokemon and travel through mystery dungeons," Carlos reminded.

"I know," Sunburst nodded. "And I'm ready to do that."

"You could be defeated in battle," Carlos commented. "We're guaranteed to fight some pretty powerful opponents eventually."

"I'm prepared for all of that, Carlos," Sunburst said. "I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done. I want to help. I want to see the world the way you and your friends do. Please, Carlos…"

"Guys?" Carlos looked at his friends. "Huddle up,"

Team Legend grouped together and began to discuss whether to accept the princess or not.

"She's pretty strong," Lucar noted.

"And she's nice," Joy added.

"Really nice!" Michael cried.

"You think everyone's nice, Michael," Joy said, patting the Minun on the head.

"Nu-uh! Not that Fwaligatr and Twanitar! They bad!" Michael argued.

Sandra giggled at the mispronunciation of the two Pokemon's names. "Yes, Michael, those guys were bad," she agreed.

"And so was the Tozicroag!" Michael cried.

"Yes, he's definitely bad," Joy nodded.

"Extremely bad," Luv added.

"Indeed," Zuzu said.

"Should we accept Sunburst or not?" Carlos asked, bringing the group back on topic.

"I don't see why not," Joy commented. "She helped save us."

"And that Flaming Volt Tackle was awesome!" Luv cried, smiling. "That would be so cool to see again!"

"Sandra, what do you think?" Carlos asked, looking at the Eevee.

"Uh… I…" Sandra looked away as Sunburst's words hit her.

"_It's best you just stay friends. Carlos wouldn't love a coward like you, anyway."_

More of Sunburst's words came to her.

"_Face it. You're a coward. Even I can see that. You and Carlos will never be compatible. Just stay friends. That's all you'll ever be."_

"I…" Sandra groaned. _What if Sunburst is right? Carlos hasn't shown any interest in me. Maybe he _is_ better off with Sunburst than me._ "I'll go with whatever you choose, Carlos."

"Oh… Okay," the Pikachu nodded.

Lucar lowered his head, sighing. _Her aura's sad again,_ he thought. _I've got to find out what's causing it. Could it be Sunburst? If so, what did she do to make Sandra so sad…and why?_

"So, are we all okay with that?" Carlos asked, looking at each of his teammates.

They all nodded. Lucar was reluctant to, though. He still hadn't forgotten the incident with the Grimy Food. But Sunburst was strong and it would be hard for him to investigate what she had done to Sandra if she was still in the Northern Desert Kingdom.

"Okay," Carlos said.

The huddle broke and all of Team Legend faced Sunburst. The Quilava watched them, hopeful. Carlos smiled as he approached her. He held out a paw to her.

"Sunburst…" he said. "…Welcome to the team!"

"Really? Oh, thank you! All of you!" Sunburst hugged Carlos, tears springing up in her eyes. "I promise to help you all as much as I possibly can!"

"Good," Lucar commented. "Being an explorer is hard work. Plus, you'll have to deal with Loudred waking you up every morning."

"What?" the Quilava yelped. "Tell me you're joking!"

"Sorry, but no," Joy replied. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"Awwww!" Sunburst hung her head. _I'll have to get up that early every morning? And that…loudmouth…is basically my alarm clock? Maybe this isn't a good idea. But…if it means staying with Carlos and…_ She looked at Lucar and Sandra. _…and righting my wrongs, then I'll put up with it._

Lucar tilted his head to the side in confusion. _Sunburst's aura was…sad for a moment. Why? Shouldn't she be happy she gets to stay with Carlos? Or…is it something else entirely?_

King Ty sighed, sitting down in his throne. "Well then, I guess I have no choice. Sunburst, you are hereby stripped of your title as princess and heir to the Northern Desert Kingdom's throne. Qwil, you are hereby heir to the throne."

"Thanks, Father," Qwil turned to his little sister. "I hope you have fun out there. Dungeon crawling isn't all fun and games, you know. It can be dangerous at times."

"I know," Sunburst said, looking at her older brother. "I'm not scared. If anything, I'm excited to see what's out there."

"Then good luck," Qwil wished, hugging Sunburst. "Now then, I'm going to bed. I'm tired."

"Night's beginning to fall," Queen Floe noted. "How about all of you stay the night tonight. You can leave tomorrow."

"Sure," Carlos nodded. "Thanks for your hospitality."

"Of course! Anything for the saviors of our kingdom!" King Ty exclaimed.

_/It felt nice to be thanked for doing something so spectacular, like saving a kingdom. It has a lot of perks. But it can also go overboard at times. I sure couldn't have guessed that Sunburst joining us would happen. I was still under the influence of her words at the time and only allowed it because I wanted Carlos to be happy. I guess that's one of the things I cared about most—Carlos' happiness. I cared about that even to the point of allowing myself to suffer as long as he was happy. Call me obsessed, but that's just me./_

_Later that night, the palace bath…_

Sandra sighed, resting on the edge of the massive warm water bath. The water wasn't very deep but Sandra's fear kept her from setting foot in it. It was like a repeat of the Hot Springs. She suddenly found herself wishing Carlos was there to keep her safe.

"Having fun staring at the water?" a voice from behind her asked.

Sandra jumped, whirling around to see Sunburst. "Oh! H-hi, S-Sunburst," she greeted nervously.

"Are you going to go in?" Sunburst asked.

"I… M-maybe," the Eevee replied, looking away. "I'm s-scared of w-water,"

"Oh, yeah," the Quilava realized. "You told me about that."

"Y-yeah," Sandra nodded. _Is she here to tell me about how she and Carlos are better together than Carlos and I? Hasn't she tormented me enough?_ The Eevee found herself on the brink of tears at the mere thought.

"Hey!" Sunburst yelped, spotting the tears. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I… I…" Sandra buried her face in her paws. "N-nothing! I…"

"Sandra… I…" Sunburst sighed, lowering her gaze to the floor. _I have to apologize,_ she thought. _Come on, Sunburst, just say it. Come on! 'I'm sorry' is all you need._

The Quilava sat on the floor beside Sandra, dangling her feet in the warm waters of the bath. She rested a paw on the Eevee's shuddering back, gently rubbing. Sandra slowly looked up, confused.

"I… I'm sorry," Sunburst finally said. "For everything I said."

"Huh?" _Is she…apologizing?_ Sandra wondered.

"I was wrong…about everything," Sunburst explained, keeping her gaze on her reflection in the water. "You're not a coward. And I'm sure Carlos could love you one day."

"You're wrong," Sandra muttered. "I'm the biggest coward ever."

"The 'biggest coward ever' wouldn't have the nerve to go through the Northern Desert, let alone help save an entire kingdom!" Sunburst barked. "Sure, you may be a coward but inside, you really are brave."

"That's only because Carlos is there," Sandra admitted, shifting her gaze from the Quilava to the water. "Before he appeared, I was bullied nonstop. I couldn't even fight. I was too afraid."

"But that's different now, right? You're not bullied and you can fight," Sunburst pointed out.

"Carlos only sees me as a friend. Nothing more," Sandra argued.

"If you tried harder, I'm sure he'd realize you liked him. And maybe he'll realize he likes you, too." Sunburst suggested. "Then again, if you won't do anything, I guess I'll have to take him anyway."

"You wouldn't!" Sandra yelped, staring at her in shock.

"Maybe," Sunburst teased. _She's far too shy to admit her feelings directly,_ she noted. _If she keeps her feelings for him locked away, Carlos will never know that she loves him._

_/Oddly enough, Sunburst would be one of the ones that would help me to eventually admit my feelings to Carlos. I find that funny since she seemed so intent on having Carlos all to herself. I wonder what possibly changed./_

"Now then," Sunburst slipped into the bath. "Are you coming in?"

"Um…" the Eevee whimpered.

Sandra never got to reply. Sunburst was already splashing her with warm water. Only moments later, the other girls would enter the bath to see quite the water war happening.

_Outside of the palace…_

Mark sighed, breathing in the crisp night air. "A perfect night for training," he commented.

"Mark!" a voice called.

The Lucario turned to see Lucar dashing toward him. "What is it, Lucar?" he asked.

Lucar, having finally reached him, rested his paws on his knees and gasped for breath. "I…want you…to train…me," he requested raggedly.

"You seem strong enough," Mark pointed out.

"Not my aura vision," Lucar argued. "My aura vision can't see through things like waterfalls or rocks. Yours can, right? I want you to help me with mine."

"I…" Mark sighed. "If that is what you want, then so be it. I won't go easy. Training your aura vision is tough."

"After all I've been through, I think I can handle it," the blind Riolu replied.

"Good," Mark smirked. "Follow me then, Lucar."

The duo headed off into the night, a tough training session awaiting them both. One would be learning. One would be teaching. It wouldn't be until early morning that either one would return to the palace.


	52. Chapter 51: Surprises at Home

Chapter 51: Surprises at Home

The sun was beginning to rise over the Northern Desert. Many Pokemon were gathered at the front gates of the kingdom, bidding farewell to the four Exploration Teams that had come to save them from Kadar. Among them was Team Legend and their newest teammate, the former princess of the Northern Desert Kingdom…Sunburst.

Team Raptors and Team Heroes were the first to leave, taking Dusk with them. He was still handcuffed but he hardly minded anymore. He refused to make eye contact with anyone, though. He kept his eyes on the ground and simply followed the monstrous shadows of his escorts. He said nothing at all to anyone.

Team Shell Shock left not long after, following the two more famous Exploration Teams. All three teams had other missions to attend to the moment they returned to Treasure Town. They said their goodbyes and simply left.

Team Legend was the last to leave. After gathering up his teammates, Carlos collected their reward from King Ty. Now all they had to do was say their final goodbyes and head back home.

Sunburst hugged her parents one last time. "Bye, Mother, Father," she said, holding back tears.

"Stay safe, dear," Queen Floe whispered. Tears were running down her cheeks. "I love you."

"Be sure to visit," King Ty commented. "I hope your decision is worthwhile."

"I know it is, Father," Sunburst replied, smiling.

"Good," King Ty nodded.

"Thank you so much, Team Legend," Queen Floe said, addressing the Exploration Team. "Without you, our kingdom wouldn't be the same. If there is anything we can do to help you, just ask."

"I'll keep it in mind," Carlos promised. "I'll take good care of Sunburst. I promise."

"I know you will," the Typhlosion queen replied. "Goodbye, Team Legend."

"Goodbye!" Team Legend chorused.

Hugging her parents and older brother one more time, Sunburst parted from them and followed her new teammates. A paw suddenly landed on her shoulder, stopping her. A sandy brown cloak was wrapped around her shoulders. Sunburst looked over her shoulder to see it was Qwil.

"Take it with you," he said.

"But this is your—"

"I know what it is," Qwil interrupted gently. "And I want you to have it. You know, so you don't forget us."

"I won't forget you," Sunburst pointed out.

"I know, but still…" Qwil pushed her toward Team Legend. "Just take it."

"Thanks," Sunburst hugged her brother once more before bounding away, dashing after her teammates. Her brother's travelling cloak fluttered behind her. _Thank you, big brother. I'll cherish it…forever!_

The heavy Steelix skin gates slowly closed, locking the Northern Desert Kingdom away from the forbidding desert that surrounded it. The kingdom's inhabitants slowly returned to work. King Ty, Queen Floe, and Prince Qwil returned to the palace. Kadar, Tooth, and Claw sat quietly in their dungeon cells, plotting how to escape…if escape was even possible. Mark began his usual training routine, ignoring his exhaustion from staying up the night before. Teri followed Darnell through the underground tunnels. Kayle and Urbana led the Skarmory Patrol out into the hot desert sky. Manzur and Shappa took a break from guard duty to train Tito how to fight properly, as they had once tried to do with Marion so long ago.

All in all, the kingdom was at peace once again.

_/Peaceful places are always the best. I'm glad we could help make the Northern Desert Kingdom a peaceful place. It was sad that Sunburst picked us over her own home, but I'm kind of glad she did. Without her, things might be…different./_

Carlos came to a stop, looking over his shoulder to ensure he had everyone. He smiled when Sunburst caught up, her new cloak flapping in the wind. When the entire team was assembled, they marched through the quickly-warming sands of the Northern Desert. They were going home at long last.

_A few hours later…_

"We made it!" Sandra cried.

"Hooray!" Luv cheered.

"Home sweet home," Lucar chuckled.

"We're back!" Michael chirped, hugging Joy. "We're home!"

"Yes, Michael, we're home," Joy patted the Minun on the head affectionately.

"I missed this place," Blackie whispered, smiling softly at the familiar surroundings of Treasure Town.

"Awesome!" Zuzu shouted.

"Here we are," Carlos smiled.

"Home," Sunburst said. _This…is my new home._ The Quilava slowly smiled.

Treasure Town loomed before them in all its glory. Some of the buildings were still damaged from Tooth and Claw's attack, but the residents of the town were working hard to repair them. As Team Legend walked through the street, shopkeepers and other Exploration Teams shouted greetings. A few residents waved happily at them.

Carlos smiled as Azurill and Marill dashed toward them. "You're okay! You're really okay!" Azurill cried.

"I told you, Azurill!" Marill laughed. "I knew they'd be okay!"

"I know," Azurill replied. He suddenly looked up at the Pikachu curiously. "Oh, yeah. Did you find Snowflake, Carlos? She hasn't come back yet."

Carlos frowned, lowering his head. His paws formed fists at his sides, trembling slightly. _Snowflake… I still can't believe she was with Thrax this whole time._

"Snowflake? That Glaceon?" Sunburst commented. "Wasn't she with Thra—"

"Don't," Lucar growled, silencing the Quilava.

Sunburst jumped, startled by the growl. She glared at the blind Riolu and opened her mouth, ready to yell at him for daring to growl at her…only to fall silent when Lucar spoke again. This time, the words were aimed at Azurill and Marill.

"Snowflake isn't coming back," he said, keeping his voice gentle. "She decided it was time to head back home. She didn't tell you beforehand because she thought it would make it harder for her to leave. She told us to tell you she was sorry."

"Will she come back one day?" Marill asked.

"Yeah! Is she going to come visit, Lucar?" Azurill cried.

"She'll try," Lucar replied, patting Azurill on the head. "She had fun here with you guys. She hopes that you'll find your Water Float one day."

"We will!" Marill declared. "We won't stop searching until we find it!"

"If you need help, just ask. We'll gladly lend a hand." Carlos offered.

"Thanks! We'll remember to if we need help." Marill promised. "Come on, Azurill. Let's go search the beach."

"Okay!" the Normal-type nodded. "Bye, guys!"

"Bye, Azurill! Bye, Marill!" Sandra cried.

The two brothers dashed away, heading toward the beach. Once they were out of sight, Sunburst turned to look at Lucar in surprise. The Riolu sighed softly, looking at the ground.

"You lied to them," the former princess said.

"I know," Lucar replied. "It was for their own good, though."

"How so?" Sunburst demanded. "When is it good to lie?"

"When telling the truth would only cause pain," Joy muttered. "Especially if that pain has been experienced before,"

"Huh?" Sunburst looked at Carlos for an explanation.

The Pikachu looked toward the direction the brothers had gone off in. "Not long after we became an Exploration Team and almost immediately after Joy joined, we met Azurill and Marill. They were searching for their Water Float. A Drowzee told them he knew where it was and helped them search…except he wasn't really helping them search.

"He led Azurill away from Marill and took him to Mt. Bristle, a mystery dungeon and the third we ever went through. Drowzee had found a horde of thieves' treasure on the top floor, but the opening was too small for him to reach it. He decided to use Azurill to try and get it. So he kidnapped Azurill.

"We managed to get to the top floor of Mt. Bristle before Drowzee could hurt him. Joy protected Azurill while Sandra, Lucar, and I fought Drowzee. He was hard to beat. We only won because I used Volt Tackle. It was the first time I ever used it."

"Azurill and Marill trusted Drowzee to help them," Sandra summarized. "Drowzee ended up being a criminal. And now they trust Snowflake…"

"And she's a criminal, too," Sunburst realized.

"They don't know that, though," Lucar said. "And they don't have to know. Not now, anyway. Snowflake's with Thrax and Thrax is after us. What are the chances Azurill and Marill will see Snowflake ever again?"

The entire group fell silent. After a moment, they resumed their trek toward Wigglytuff's Guild. Not another word was spoken.

_/Twice, Azurill and Marill trusted someone to help them find their Water Float. Twice, they turned out to be a criminal. The first time nearly ended in disaster for Azurill. Thankfully, Snowflake didn't do anything to either of them. Was it luck that saved them? Or was Snowflake too busy with…whatever she was supposed to do in Treasure Town…to hurt the brothers? I don't know. I'm just happy they're both safe and sound./_

After climbing up the stone stairs that led to Wigglytuff's Guild, Team Legend came to a stop in front of the grate. The gate was down, preventing them from entering the Guild. Carlos stepped onto the grate, bracing himself for the all-too-familiar shouting of Diglett and Loudred.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

"The footprint is Pikachu's! The footprint is Pika…?"

"Diglett? What's WRONG? Why'd you STOP?"

Carlos smiled as he looked down through the grate. Diglett's voice finally reached him.

"Carlos? Is that you?"

The Pikachu grinned. "Yep!" he cried. "It's me, Diglett! Me and the rest of Team Legend!"

"TEAM LEGEND IS BACK!" Diglett shouted at the top of his lungs. "THEY'RE BACK! TEAM LEGEND HAS RETURNED!"

"They HAVE?" Loudred yelled. "CARLOS, is that YOU?"

"Yep!" Carlos called.

"We're here, too!" Sandra cried. "All of us are!"

"Well then…GET IN HERE!" Loudred bellowed.

The gate lifted with a rumble and Team Legend immediately dashed inside, climbing down the ladder to the second floor. The moment Carlos stepped off the ladder, he found himself in a crushing hug from Wigglytuff. The entire Guild had assembled, all of them clearly happy to see them again.

"Friendly friends have come home! Hooray!" Wigglytuff cheered, releasing Carlos so he could hug the rest of the Exploration Team.

"Oh my gosh! You're back! I can't believe it!" Sunflora cried.

"By golly, you're all okay! I might just blubber from sheer joy!" Bidoof exclaimed, tears springing up in his eyes. "Gosh, we missed you guys!"

"Dinner's been pretty lonely without you guys," Chimecho giggled. "Good to see you're all back!"

"Same," Joy agreed, laughing as Michael was hugged by Wigglytuff.

_/It was great to be back in Wigglytuff's Guild. It felt like forever since we left for the Northern Desert Kingdom. I'd almost forgotten how much everyone in the Guild cared for us, Wigglytuff especially. I had missed everyone, even Chatot despite the fact he constantly stole our money./_

Wigglytuff came to a stop when he reached the end of the line of Team Legend's members, staring at Sunburst in confusion. "Friendly friend Sunburst is back?" he asked.

"Princess Sunburst!" Chatot squawked. "What are you doing here? Not that we're not honored to have you visit again but…didn't Team Legend take you home?"

"Yes," the Quilava nodded. "After a lot of thinking, I decided to become an explorer. I have officially joined Team Legend. I'm no longer a princess, so there is no need to treat me as such. From now on, I'm just Sunburst. Not Princess Sunburst."

"Friendly friend Sunburst is staying now?" Wigglytuff asked.

Sunburst looked at Wigglytuff and nodded. "Yes, I'm staying."

"HOORAY!" Wigglytuff cheered, hugging the Quilava. "We have a new friendly friend!"

"Oof!" The Quilava coughed slightly as she was embraced tightly by the Guildmaster. _Geez, this is tight! Does he have to hug so hard?_

Luv laughed at the look on Sunburst's face. "You should've known that was coming, Sunburst! It happened to us, after all."

"Agreed!" Zuzu nodded, laughing alongside the Piplup.

"Yeah…" Sunburst reluctantly agreed. _Well…I guess it's not so bad. At least everyone here is friendly._

"My, it seems I came at the right time indeed," a voice came from behind Wigglytuff. "I was hoping to be able to meet Team Legend. What an honor indeed."

"Oh!" Wigglytuff put Sunburst down and stepped aside. "Sorry, friendly friends! I forgot to mention that we have a visitor!"

"Oh, it's quite fine, Wigglytuff," the voice said. "I cannot blame you for placing your reunion with your missing guild members above introducing a guest. I would've done the exact same if I were in your position."

"Huh?" Carlos looked at the visitor. _Who's that?_

Floating out of the shadows…was a Dusknoir. The large Ghost-type seemed genuinely pleased to see them. Then the Pikachu noticed that the entire Guild was watching Dusknoir with awe. That made Carlos nervous.

"Dusknoir, sir!" Sunburst suddenly squeaked. "I can't believe it! You're here!"

"Ah! And, from what I just heard, you must be the princess of the Northern Desert Kingdom." Dusknoir said. "What a pleasure to meet one of such royalty." Gently holding her paw, he kissed it before drawing away to speak with Wigglytuff.

"You know him?" Joy asked quietly, looking at the Quilava in confusion.

"Of course! He's a world famous explorer!" Sunburst replied, blushing.

"World famous? Funny, we've never heard of him." Lucar commented.

"Yeah," Sandra agreed.

"He's new and practically got famous overnight," the Quilava explained. "Plus, he's a solo explorer. Barely anyone dares to go solo unless they're either very confident or very stupid. Dusknoir is the former, of course!"

"From what I've heard, not even Team Moonlight dared go solo," Joy commented. "It was always Shelly, Flare, and Lili, even from the very beginning. It was never only one but all three, together in everything."

"Just like Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar!" Luv suddenly realized. "They always go on missions and stuff together, too!"

"Wow! You're right!" Zuzu laughed. "Maybe you're Team Moonlight reborn or something!"

"I doubt it," Lucar argued, chuckling at the thought. "Unless Shelly and Lili suddenly swapped genders. It's not even proven that Team Moonlight is dead. They're just missing."

"That's right," Sandra nodded. "They might still be out there, going on more adventures."

"Yeah," Carlos agreed. "So, Sunburst, what else about this Dusknoir guy do you know?"

"He's not 'this Dusknoir guy', Carlos. He's the great Dusknoir," Sunburst corrected, though more gently then she would've if anyone else had said that. "Well, aside from going solo, he's really wise. It's said that he knows everything in the world. Ask him a question and he'll more than likely know the answer!"

_He knows…everything?_ Carlos thought. _Then maybe… Could he possibly know how I ended up in this world? Maybe even why I lost my memory? And why I get these visions? Speaking of those, I haven't had one in a while. Maybe those were…temporary?_

Lucar quickly snapped the Pikachu back to attention, the blind Riolu indicating Wigglytuff and Dusknoir. Wigglytuff was frowning sadly, though something about it seemed…fake. Dusknoir seemed disappointed. Only when he listened to what they were saying did he understand.

"…I see. How disappointing. After all that time and effort to find Fogbound Lake and there wasn't a thing to be found?" Dusknoir asked.

"Not a thing," Wigglytuff replied, lowering his head. "It was a waste. But, regardless, it was fun to go there. There just wasn't anything there but trees and fog. It was a bad expedition."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But, as they always say, better luck next time." Dusknoir wished.

"Yep! We'll do better next time! And even if we fail, we'll still have fun!" Wigglytuff declared.

"Good to hear," Dusknoir said. "I'll be staying in Treasure Town for a while. May I visit?"

"Of course!" Wigglytuff cried. "You're always welcome here!"

"Why, thank you," Dusknoir replied. "This place has been the center of much good news as of late. Such good information may be useful in my future explorations."

"Anytime, Dusknoir!" Wigglytuff smiled.

"If you need anything, feel free to ask," the Ghost-type offered. "Even if it's just information, I'll be happy to help."

"Got it!" Wigglytuff replied. "We'll try not to be a nuisance with questions and stuff!"

"No, it's quite fine. I'd be flattered, in fact." Dusknoir said. "Well, I best be off. I'll explore the town a little. Thank you for your time, Wigglytuff."

"No problem!" Wigglytuff laughed. "Come back anytime!"

"I shall," Dusknoir promised.

Team Legend quickly moved out of the way, allowing Dusknoir to reach the ladder leading out of the Guild. Just as Dusknoir began to ascend them, he stopped. Floating away from the ladder, he turned to face Team Legend. He tilted his head a little to peer behind Joy, where a trembling Blackie was currently hiding.

"Is something wrong, Dusknoir?" Chatot asked, confused.

"Would that happen to be…?" Dusknoir indicated the black Pikachu.

"Oh!" Carlos turned to look at Joy, since Blackie was currently hiding. "That's Blackie. He's one of our teammates."

"Did he once serve under the Big Five criminal, Thrax?" Dusknoir asked.

"…Yes," Joy nodded. "But he lost his memory not long ago. We're caring for him at the moment. In the Northern Desert Kingdom, he…had a bad experience with Thrax."

"Ah… I see," Dusknoir nodded. "So, he is no longer a criminal."

"Not at the moment," Sandra replied. "He's an explorer, just like us. I guess he's just a bit scared of you."

"Even with amnesia, he may still have reactions to certain things. Perhaps he had bad experiences with Ghost-types?" Dusknoir suggested.

"Perhaps, but Thrax has no Ghost-types serving him," Lucar pointed out. "At least, none that we've encountered."

"And you have had many encounters with Thrax, correct?" Dusknoir guessed.

"More than we'd like," Carlos muttered, looking away.

"How unfortunate, yet you've escaped each encounter intact. Quite an incredible feat, if I may say," Dusknoir complimented. "Now then, I apologize for taking up more time than necessary. I'll take my leave now. Good night to you all."

Dusknoir went up the ladder and vanished from sight. The Guild members dispersed to do whatever they wished until dinner was ready. Team Legend began to make their way toward their room, intent on relaxing until dinner. The entire Exploration Team was exhausted from their trek through the Northern Desert.

"Blackie, why did you hide?" Joy asked as the black Pikachu began walking at her side again, carrying a wiggling Michael in his arms.

"Something about him…" Blackie shuddered. "I've got a bad feeling about him. He seems nice but…"

"Are you implying something about Dusknoir?" Sunburst demanded, frowning. "Dusknoir is an incredibly good person. He helps others no matter what. He's an explorer, just like us. Are you saying he isn't a good person?"

"N-no! I just… I…" Blackie looked away. "I just…have a bad feeling…"

_/Dusknoir would definitely be helping us. Just like Sunburst said, he is indeed a good person. Without his help, we might not have learned as much about Carlos as we eventually would. But not everything he helped us learn was good.../_

"It's okay," Joy hugged the black Pikachu. "Today's been a stressful day. Tomorrow will be better."

"Yeah," Blackie nodded, relaxing. He rested a paw on the red scarf around his neck, where the photograph Thrax had given him was hidden. _Joy is in that picture. Should I show her? The Pichu… Could it be the son she told us about when Sunburst joined the team? The one Thrax kidnapped? David was his name, right? David… That name…seems familiar. Why?_

Upon reaching their room, the nine members of Team Legend flopped down in their beds. They simply laid there until Chimecho called them for dinner ten minutes later. Once their bellies were full, they all fell asleep easily. It was a peaceful night.


	53. Chapter 52: Missions and 2nd Heartbreak

Chapter 52: Missions and Heartbreak Returns

"UP AND AT 'EM, ROOKIES! IT'S MORNING!"

"Ugh…" Carlos slowly sat up, yawning.

"My ears…" Sunburst whimpered, her paws clapped over them in pain. "Ow…"

"You'll have to get used to it, dear," Joy said. "Well, it looks like Michael doesn't wake up crying now."

Instead of crying, the Minun was curled in a ball. He was tugging on his ears, eyes watering as he kept them tightly shut. Joy scooped him up, rocking him reassuringly.

"Well, it's back to a normal day of exploration," Sandra commented.

"Sandra, when has _any day_ been normal since we formed Team Legend?" Lucar asked.

"…Good point," the Eevee muttered, looking at her paws.

"Regardless, we have a job to do." Carlos stood up, stretching. "Blackie, you should probably stay behind since you're hurt. Joy has to take care of Michael. Sunburst, you can stay behind since it's your first day. Bidoof can give you a tour of the Guild if you want."

"Hey, does that mean Luv and I get to go on missions today?" Zuzu asked.

"Yes, it does," the Pikachu nodded. "Come on, guys! We've got Pokemon to help!"

"Hooray! Missions!" Luv cheered, dashing after her teammates happily.

Entering the main room, the five members of Team Legend recited the Guild cheers. Then they headed up to the first floor to pick out missions. Sandra and Luv picked out five missions from both the Rescue and the Outlaw Boards, all of them located in Foggy Forest. They headed out to Treasure Town to prepare their supplies and then traveled toward Foggy Forest.

_The entrance to Foggy Forest…_

"Wow!" Zuzu said, looking around. "This is where you guys went on the expedition? Cool!"

"Sure is foggy," Luv commented. "I guess that's why it's called _Foggy_ Forest. So, Uxie lives around here?"

"On the other side of this forest," Carlos replied. "But we're not going there. We're just completing missions and going home. Until this whole Time Gear thief fiasco is over, I think it's better we leave Uxie alone."

"Agreed," Lucar nodded. "We don't want to lead the thief right to a Time Gear."

"Oh… I almost forgot they were being stolen," Sandra muttered.

"So much has happened that it's no surprise," Lucar said, looking at the Eevee. "Speaking of that, no other Time Gears have been stolen as of late. I guess the thief must be having a hard time finding Time Gears."

"Well, I hope he…she…they do! Have a hard time, I mean!" Sandra declared. "Who would want to do such a thing, anyway?"

"Who knows?" Carlos shrugged. "Come on. We've got missions."

"RIGHT!" the others chorused.

As one, Team Legend trooped through the fog as they entered Foggy Forest.

On the first floor, they went down a few corridors before being attacked by a Dunsparce. Lucar hit it with Force Palm, weakening it enough for Luv to finish it off with Peck. Reaching the next room, Carlos picked up 83 poke. Going down a nearby hall, Sandra used Quick Attack on a Cherubi and defeated it. Racing down a few more empty halls, they entered an empty room. Just as they were leaving, a Pachirisu arrived. A Quick Attack from Carlos caused it to flee.

"We're not going to chase it?" Zuzu asked.

"No," Carlos replied. "Let's keep going. Our missions start on the sixth floor, guys."

Discovering the tunnel in the room led to a dead end, the team headed back the way they came and took a different route. After two empty rooms and a bunch of empty halls, a Zigzagoon leaped out to ambush them from around a corner. Carlos used Slam while Zuzu struck with Bite, knocking it out immediately. The moment they turned the corner, a pair of Pachirisu jumped them. Lucar slammed the first one with Force Palm, throwing it aside in order for Sandra's Shadow Ball to hit the second one. Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar jumped the moment Luv raised her foot, dodging the super-powerful Earthquake she unleashed. Both Pachirisu fainted instantly when the tremors subsided.

"I missed doing that!" the Piplup laughed.

"Warn us beforehand so we don't get hit too," Carlos suggested. _Good thing Lucar spotted that when he did,_ he thought. _If he hadn't, we would've all been hit._

Picking up the 43 poke that the second Pachirisu dropped, they continued down the hall. Sadly, Lucar told them it was the first room they were in when they had entered the mystery dungeon. Turning around, Carlos retraced their footsteps until he came to a new path. Entering the room it led to and picking up 54 poke, they climbed up the stairs located on the far side of the room.

On the second floor, they arrived in the same room as the stairs. Carlos took a chance and used Thunderbolt on a Hoothoot that was in the room, frowning when he couldn't knock it out. Sandra's Quick Attack knocked it out, though. Picking up the Nifty Box it dropped, they climbed up the stairs.

On the third floor, they found themselves in the same room as a Hoothoot. Lucar knocked it out with Rock Slide. Grabbing a Special Band lying on the ground nearby, they headed through a corridor. Passing through an empty room and barely outrunning a Pachirisu, a Cherubi ambushed them. It was quickly defeated by Zuzu's Wing Attack. Crossing the room before them, a Zigzagoon attacked them. Lucar's Force Palm knocked it out instantly. After going through another hall, they reached a room containing a Clear Gummi, a Twist Band, and 54 poke. Putting them in the Treasure Bag, they outran a Pachirisu all the way to the room containing the stairs. The five explorers ran up the stairs before the Pachirisu could catch them.

On the fourth floor, Carlos grabbed 97 poke before using Quick Attack on an attacking Zigzagoon. Lucar's Force Palm knocked it out right afterward. Passing through a long and twisting corridor, a Hoothoot ambushed them in an empty room. Zuzu used Bite, followed by Luv using Peck to defeat it. Passing through yet another long hallway, they arrived in the room with the stairs and climbed up them.

On the fifth floor, Carlos grabbed a Brown Gummi before headed down a nearby hall into another room. Grabbing 59 poke, Carlos led his team up the stairs located in the same room.

On the sixth floor, their first mission began. Not even a foot away, a criminal Shellos narrowed its eyes at them before hitting them with Mud-Slap. Carlos hit it with Thunderbolt while Sandra tossed in a Shadow Ball, severely weakening it. A single Bite from Zuzu took it down.

"Mission 1 complete!" Sandra cried.

"Four more left to go," Luv reminded.

"Let's keep going!" Carlos encouraged.

Continuing through the floor, Lucar ended up poisoned right away by an attacking Skiploom that had snuck up on them while they had battled the Shellos. Carlos knocked it out with Quick Attack and grabbed a Pecha Berry nearby, giving it to Lucar to cure him. Dashing through empty halls and an empty room, Sandra used Shadow Ball to knock out a Pachirisu that jumped them. They tiptoed across the next room, careful not to wake up the sleeping Zigzagoon nearby. They raced through the next few corridors, dashing up the stairs the moment Team Legend found them.

On the seventh floor, a criminal Volbeat awaited them. It succeeded in dodging Carlos' Thunderbolt, only to be knocked down by Lucar's Rock Slide. Luv hit it with Peck twice in a row, defeating it.

"Mission 2 complete!" Lucar declared.

Continuing through the floor, they headed down a hall and entered a massive room. Picking up a Blue Gummi, Lucar used Force Palm on an incoming Pinsir. It managed to stay upright, only to be defeated by Carlos' Slam. Picking up the Cute Box it dropped, they headed down a nearby hallway and drove off a Buneary. It fled without attacking again. Finding the stairs in the next room, they ran up them.

On the eighth floor, a criminal Staryu turned to face them. Carlos shocked it with Thunderbolt right away, only to be hit by Water Gun in retaliation. He crashed into the wall behind him, winded. Sandra leaped to his defense, hitting the Staryu with Shadow Ball. A combo of Zuzu's Wing Attack and Luv's Bubblebeam finally defeated it.

"Mission 3 complete!" Luv cheered.

Continuing through the floor, they discovered that they were in the same room as the stairs. They attempted to tiptoe around a sleeping Pinsir, only to fail when Luv tripped out a root. Sandra and Lucar both used Quick Attack, knocking it out. They ran up the stairs without a second thought.

On the ninth floor, the five Pokemon dashed through a few corridors before being jumped by a Breloom. Zuzu hit it with Wing Attack, weakening it enough for Carlos' Slam to defeat it. Entering the next room, Carlos was happy to discover that their client, Poliwag, was there.

"Hey! Did you bring me my Escape Orb?" the Poliwag asked.

"Yes, we did," Sandra dug out the Escape Orb, handing it over to the Water-type.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cried, her voice growing higher pitched with each 'thank you'. "I'll have a good reward for you, I promise!"

"Mission 4 completed!" Carlos called, pointing his badge at Poliwag and teleporting her to the Guild. "Only one more mission left, guys! Let's keep going!"

They continued through the mystery dungeon. Crossing through an empty room and a long hall, they sped up the stairs as an attacking Pachirisu lunged for them.

On the tenth floor, Carlos picked up an Apple and led the way down a corridor nearby. Grabbing another Apple in the next room, Zuzu defeated a Breloom with Wing Attack and picked up the Dainty Box it dropped. A Zigzagoon attacked them in the next hall, only to be defeated by Luv's Bubblebeam. A Skiploom ambushed them afterward, only to be knocked out by Lucar's Force Palm. A few more twisting halls led them to the room with the stairs. They climbed up them, ready to complete their final mission.

On the eleventh floor, they left the large room they appeared in and entered a larger room. Luckily, the stairs were in the room. Grabbing 43 poke, they headed toward their client, a clearly lost and disoriented Combee.

"Oh… Did you come to get me out of here? Oh, please say yes!" the Bug-type pleaded.

"Yes is correct," Zuzu reassured. "You're in safe hands now."

"Oh, thank you!" she cried, overjoyed.

"Mission 5 complete!" Carlos declared, teleporting the Combee out of Foggy Forest with his badge. "All done, guys!"

The five Team Legend members were engulfed in white light, being sent spiraling through the time-space tunnel. Landing in a pile within Wigglytuff's Guild, they disentangled themselves and faced Sheriff Magnezone and their clients. The Sheriff chuckled.

"BZZZT! I'LL NEVER GET TIRED OF SEEING THAT! BZZZT!" he announced.

"I don't think we'll ever learn how to land on our feet," Carlos joked.

"Agreed," Lucar nodded.

"BZZZT! THANK YOU FOR APPREHENDING THOSE CRIMINALS FOR US, TEAM LEGEND! HERE ARE YOUR REWARDS! BZZZT!" Sherriff Magnezone said.

They received a TM for Calm Mind, a Stamina Band, a Reviver Seed, and 500 poke. Placing those items in their Treasure Bag, the five Pokemon waved goodbye to Sheriff Magnezone as he left the Guild. They then turned their attention to Poliwag and Combee.

"Thanks for the Escape Orb! I always feel safer with one." Poliwag said. "Take these. I hope they're good enough."

"Anything's good enough, Poliwag," Carlos replied. "Even if it's nothing, just knowing you're okay is good."

"Wow," Poliwag said in awe.

Carlos accepted the Joy Ribbon and 500 poke. Poliwag headed up the ladder, a smile on her face. Combee and her friend Ampharos approached them next.

"Thank you for saving Combee," Ampharos said. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't!"

"You'd panic a bit, maybe cry a little," Combee guessed.

"Hey!" Ampharos glared at his friend. "I would not!"

_/Some of the reactions from our clients are pretty funny, as I'm sure you've seen. I can't help but laugh sometimes. A laugh a day keeps depression away, as my mother once said. Laughing is good for you. Just make sure to laugh _with_ people, not _at_ them./_

Carlos received 300 poke for the mission. Combee and Ampharos left the Guild, arguing the whole way. Chatot hopped up to them, pleased with their success.

"Good job on your first day back, Team Legend!" he complimented. "With all the points you've wracked up today, you've reached Silver Rank!"

"Awesome!" Zuzu cried.

"Hooray!" Sandra cheered.

"That leaves you with a total of 215 points," Chatot continued. "In order to get to Gold Rank, you have to have 1600 points. Keeping working hard and you'll be there in no time!"

"1600?" Sandra squeaked. _That's…a lot!_

"Correct! Keep up the good work!" Chatot turned and hopped away.

Having collected all of the rewards for their missions, the five Pokemon headed downstairs to return to their room. Luv and Zuzu happily flopped down on their beds. Lucar sat down, quietly thinking to himself. Carlos and Sandra remained standing in the room doorway.

"I think I'm going to go deposit our money," Carlos said. "I'll be back, guys."

"I'll go with you," Sandra suggested.

"Be careful," Joy warned.

"We will, Joy!" Sandra replied.

Carlos and Sandra made their way out of the Guild and down to Treasure Town. The sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky brilliant yellows and oranges with bits of pink and purple. Some of the residents were already heading home for the day and other Exploration Teams were beginning to turn in for the coming night. The shops were still open, though.

"You're going to deposit our money, right?" Sandra asked.

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "Why?"

"I'm going to check on Marill and Azurill. I'll be back, okay?" Sandra said.

"Okay," Carlos replied. "I'll wait for you."

"Good!" The Eevee bounded away in search of the brothers.

_/If I had known what was going to happen, I would've never left Carlos alone. But if I had known what was about to happen, then… Gah! I can't decide whether it was good or bad! All I know is that it hurt at first and then felt nice when it was over. Ugh…/_

Carlos headed toward Duskull Bank. "I want to deposit my team's money, please. I'm from Team Legend," he explained.

"Ah, yes," the Duskull nodded. He accepted the money and stored it away. "Anything else you wish to do today, sir?"

"Nope," Carlos replied.

"Have a good evening, sir," the Duskull wished.

"You too," Carlos said.

The Pikachu turned and walked away from the bank, only to freeze. Out of the corner of his eye, something yellow caught his attention. Turning his head, he blinked in confusion.

Coming down the street from the direction that led toward mystery dungeons, looking exhausted, was a Pikachu. The notch in her tail clearly proved she was female. She seemed a bit dazed and her fur was ruffled, as if she had gotten into a fight and lost. She was swaying as she walked.

That wasn't what kept Carlos' gaze on her. What did were her eyes. They were a startling sapphire blue, unlike the chocolate brown that he had or the blood red that Blackie had. Though Blackie was the only other Pikachu he knew, Joy had no doubt kept her brown eyes as a Pikachu. Blue was an eye color he had never seen on an Electric-type before. Even Michael had brown eyes.

She suddenly stumbled, falling to her knees. Carlos dashed toward her, concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her sit up.

"Y-yes," she replied, her voice soft. "W-who are you?"

"Carlos," Carlos answered. "My name is Carlos."

"Carlos…" The way she said his voice sounded…strange, as if she recognized it.

"Who are you?" Carlos asked.

Confusion flashed in her eyes momentarily. After a short pause, she answered his question. "Chelsey… My name is Chelsey."

The sun sank lower in the sky, giving Chelsey's fur a kind of golden glow. Her blue eyes shone even brighter now. She sat up more, grasping his paws in her own. For a moment, Carlos was certain she resembled someone else. He just couldn't place his finger on it.

"Have we met before?" Carlos asked.

"I don't believe so," Her voice had an odd ring to it.

The sky was now a dazzling mix of yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple. Dark blue was beginning to emerge along the horizon line. It gave Treasure Town a shadowy setting. A light wind began to pick up, pulling leaves from the nearby trees and whirling them around the square where Carlos and Chelsey sat.

"Are you certain? You look…familiar somehow." Carlos persisted.

"You are mistaken," she replied. Her tone was gentle yet firm, as if warning him not to ask again. Her gaze grew hard before softening. She smiled. "Why would I look familiar?"

"I…don't honestly know," Carlos admitted. His mind was screaming warnings yet the warnings made no sense with no face to connect those warnings to. It frightened him almost.

Chelsey giggled. She rested a paw on his right cheek, smiling gently. "You know, you're pretty cute," she commented.

"Wha…?" Carlos blushed. _I'm cute? But I… What? I hardly know her and she's hitting on me!_

She giggled again. "You're cute when you blush, too."

"I… Uh…" Carlos blushed even deeper red. _Great Arceus, I feel like Sandra!_

Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, she suddenly stopped. Her left ear twitched and Chelsey switched her gaze from Carlos' face to over his shoulder. She could see Sandra bounding toward them, a happy smile on her face.

_Her…_ Chelsey thought, frowning. _Maybe I could…?_ She smirked momentarily, turning her attention back to a horribly confused Carlos.

_With Sandra…_

As Sandra drew nearer to the square, her happy smile began to fade. Carlos wasn't alone. There was another Pikachu, a female at that, sitting on the ground with him. She had a paw on his cheek and Carlos was…blushing?

"Huh?" Sandra slowed to a walk, continuing to draw nearer. _Maybe I'm mistaken. It's probably not even Carlos… Oh, who are you kidding? Who _is _that girl?_

Reaching the edge of the square, Sandra came to a stop. She opened her mouth to call Carlos' name, only to freeze when the female Pikachu's sapphire blue eyes met her own chocolate brown ones. The Eevee felt paralyzed, unable to move or speak. That gaze… She _knew_ that gaze but, for the love of Arceus, she could not remember where!

Then came the horrible part. Her gaze remaining on Sandra the whole time, the female Pikachu rested her paws on Carlos' cheeks…and kissed him. Sandra felt her heart breaking right then and there.

_/I know what you must be thinking. 'Great Arceus, you're such a sad, sad girl. All these horrible things seem to happen to you and you're always sad about it. Get a life, forget about it, and move on.' I apologize for being a coward back then. I was terrified of rejection. I couldn't bring myself to confess to Carlos. My hesitance and fear is what led to this. I'm just glad I finally got over it./_

Leaves fluttered around the two Pikachu. It looks like the perfect scene of true love. The sky became even more colorful as the sun sank lower, half submerged below the horizon. It was picture perfect…almost.

Sandra, suddenly free of the female Pikachu's paralyzing gaze, broke down in tears. Shaking her head, she dashed down the street and toward the Guild. She ran past Carlos and the mysterious female Pikachu without a second thought. Tears blurred her vision, causing her to trip and stumble up the stairs, but she ignored it. Her heart was in more pain than her body ever could be.

Dashing over the grate, she practically fell down the ladders. Ignoring both Wigglytuff and Chatot, she rocketed toward Team Legend's room. The first thing she did when she got there was fling herself into a worried Joy's arms and cry.

_With Carlos…_

Chelsey pulled away, smiling softly as Sandra raced past. _Perfect,_ she thought.

Suddenly snapping out of his kiss-induced daze, Carlos looked in the direction Sandra was running in. "Sandra! Wait!" he cried. He looked back at Chelsey. "Why did yo—"

"Thank you for the help, Carlos. I hope to see you again." Chelsey interrupted, standing up.

"Wait! I—" Carlos started, jumping to his feet.

"Goodbye," Chelsey walked away from him, disappearing further down the street before Carlos could utter another word.

The sky grew dark as night fell. Treasure Town began to close up for the night. Shop lights were going out and the streets were emptied of Pokemon…except for Carlos. Stars began to appear in the sky yet they weren't bright enough to cast any light on the lone Pikachu.

Carlos withdrew his hand, which had reached out to stop Chelsey before she had left. He looked in the direction she went in, then in the direction that Sandra had run off in. Sandra had been crying…

"Wha…" Carlos stared at his paw in the darkness, horribly lost. "What just happened?"


	54. Chapter 53: Sunburst's First Exploration

Chapter 53: Sunburst's First Exploration

Hours passed before Carlos, in a daze, made his way back to the Guild. He ignored Chatot, who demanded an explanation for Sandra's tears and his lateness, and slowly walked toward his team's room. Flashbacks of the kiss he had shared with Chelsey shot through his mind like lightning. He couldn't get it out of his head.

_Why did she do that?_ Carlos wondered, feeling numb. _And Sandra… Why was she crying? I don't…get it… Any of this…_

He stepped into Team Legend's room and collapsed on his bed. A sideways glance toward Sandra's bed showed it was empty. Afraid, his eyes darted around the room until they landed on Joy's bed. Curled up beside Michael, apparently having cried herself to sleep…was Sandra.

Relaxing a bit, the Pikachu allowed himself to curl up in bed. Sadly, he was unable to sleep. The images of the kiss and Sandra's tears kept him awake. No amount of tossing and turning helped.

_Why is it bothering me so much? _Carlos thought. _I've never…kissed anyone before. Why do I feel so bad about it? And Sandra…_

Carlos rolled over, paws over his ears. He began to tremble uncontrollably. Something felt so wrong yet he didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he felt horrible. He didn't know why he did. He just…did.

A few more hours passed before the Pikachu passed out from exhaustion. At the moment Carlos fell asleep, Lucar was finally forced awake by the sheer amount of confusion emanating from Carlos. The blind Riolu sat up, looking toward Carlos' bed. The confused aura was still there but it was fading away with sleep. He looked toward Sandra, all of her confusion and sadness having vanished hours ago.

_Could they be connected?_ Lucar wondered. _I'll need to find out what happened in Treasure Town tomorrow._

Lucar went back to sleep. He didn't have much longer to sleep, anyway. Morning was on its way.

_At Fogbound Lake…_

Uxie gasped for breath, his body aching from the amount of attacks he had been hit with. His Groudon illusion had been defeated and now the intruder was attacking him. Uxie didn't plan to give up, but he wasn't certain how much longer he could keep the intruder at bay.

"I should've known this would happen," Uxie muttered, struggling to stay in the air. "How could any normal Pokemon keep a secret this important to themselves? I should've erased their memories, all of them."

The intruder, Grovyle, tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about? No one led me here. I came on my own."

"Impossible!" Uxie argued. "No one else but those explorers knows there is a Time Gear here!"

"I'm certain that I've known it was here for far longer than the ones you're talking about," Grovyle said. "But enough chitchat. I'm here for one thing and one thing only. I'm taking that Time Gear with me."

"You'll have to go through me first!" Uxie declared.

"Then I truly am sorry, Uxie. Don't hold this against me," Grovyle requested, raising one arm. The leaves began to glow.

Uxie immediately lifted his hands, which began to glow. His eyes began to open. _I'll erase his memories,_ Uxie decided. _This one's too dangerous to allow him to escape with the knowledge of my Time Gear!_

Just as Uxie's eyes were about to open completely, Grovyle suddenly disappeared. Closing his eyes again, Uxie looked around desperately in search of Grovyle. A light sound of feet landing on stone alerted the Legendary to Grovyle's location…behind him! Whipping around, Uxie shot a powerful Confusion at him. Grovyle ducked under the attack and then lunged, sharp leaves tearing across Uxie's chest.

"AAAAAH!" Uxie cried out, falling to the ground.

Grovyle just stood there, waiting to see if Uxie would get up again. Despite all of his struggles, the Psychic-type could only writhe in pain. Grovyle sighed, turning his back on the Legendary and diving into the crystal clear waters of Fogbound Lake. He returned only a few minutes later, Time Gear in hand.

"I have it," Grovyle said triumphantly. "The third Time Gear. Only two more to go before…"

Grovyle suddenly stopped speaking, looking behind him. Uxie, from his place on the ground, couldn't see what Grovyle was looking at. The Grass-type dropped the Time Gear into the bag he was carrying and then picked up Uxie, fleeing from the cavern. Uxie, tired and hurt from the battle, could do nothing to resist. He passed out, wondering briefly what would happen to him now...

_The next morning, Wigglytuff's Guild…_

"UP AND AT 'EM, ROOKIES! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed down the hall.

"Ugh…" Carlos groaned.

The Pikachu rolled over, trying to ignore the call. The groans of his teammates as they awoke didn't stop him from trying to go back to asleep. He was tired.

"Carlos, time to get up," Joy said, shaking the Pikachu lightly.

"Ugh…" Carlos reluctantly got up, yawning. "Morning already?"

"Yep," Luv nodded, stretching her flippers.

"_This_ is how early you wake up?" Sunburst complained, rubbing her eyes. "Well, I never…" She trailed off. "…I'll need to get used to this, won't I?"

"Yeah," Zuzu replied, flapping down from her spot on the ceiling. The shiny Zubat stretched her wings. "So, back to doing normal missions again?"

"I guess so," Joy said. Then she looked at Carlos. "Where were you last night? You never came back."

"…Out," Carlos replied, avoiding the Raichu's gaze.

"Sandra came back crying. What happened?" Blackie asked.

"I…don't know," Carlos answered. His tone was dull, too tired to care.

"Carlos, please, tell us. We're worried," Joy explained, looking from Carlos to Sandra.

The Eevee was sitting on Joy's bed with a sleepy Michael. She was staring at the ground, ignoring everything around her. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying the night before. She had been so upset that she hadn't been able to tell them just what had happened in Treasure Town.

_/Sure, call me a baby if you want. If you've ever been in love, you'll understand. Try to imagine the love of your life kissing another in front of you. It's horrible. Within the span of a week, two other girls had fallen for Carlos and tried to crush my affections for him into oblivion. First Sunburst…and now Chelsey…/_

Carlos didn't reply. He honestly didn't know what exactly had caused Sandra to cry. Was it the kiss? Why? He didn't get it.

"Come on," Lucar suddenly said, resting a paw on Carlos' shoulder. "We should get to the main room. Chatot will have a fit if we're any later than this."

Carlos nodded before slowly getting to his feet. Sandra got up as well, shaking herself off in the process. Lucar led the way to the main room, Carlos and Sandra slowly trailing behind him. They quickly joined the other apprentices, lucky to be in time as Chatot began the cheers. Once they were over, Chatot suddenly raised a wing.

"Remember what we vowed last night! Speak nothing of it to anyone!" Chatot squawked.

"Huh?" Carlos, snapping back to attention, looked at Lucar. "What happened last night?"

"Yeah," Sandra agreed, looking at the blind Riolu. She, too, had snapped back to attention.

"Another Time Gear was stolen," Lucar explained as the rest of the apprentices left. "It wasn't the one from Fogbound Lake, thankfully."

"Then Uxie's still okay," Sandra realized.

"That makes two missing Time Gears, though," Lucar continued. "It's bad enough that one was stolen, but two? Whoever this Time Gear thief is, they must have something planned."

"Where was it? The second Time Gear?" Carlos asked. "Do you think the thief will go for Uxie next?"

"It was a good ways away from Fogbound Lake," Lucar replied. "As for Uxie, who knows? Maybe,"

"I hope he's okay," Sandra whimpered. "He was so nice to us, even if he sent that Ground illusion to attack us."

"He was defending the Time Gear, Sandra. I'm sure we would do the same if it was us defending it." Lucar pointed out. "Now then, we've got missions to do,"

"Zuzu and Luv are pretty strong at the moment," Carlos muttered. "Joy still has to take care of Michael, who's still too young to be going on missions with us. That leaves Blackie and Sunburst."

"Blackie still needs fighting experience," Sandra pointed out.

"Though she's around our level, Sunburst isn't experienced in doing missions yet." Lucar commented.

"Let's see what missions there are to do today and then we'll see who we should bring," Carlos suggested.

"Good idea," Lucar nodded.

"Yeah!" Sandra cried.

Carlos led the trio upstairs to check on the mission boards. They found three missions to Apple Woods and decided to take those. Two were missions involving criminals that needed arresting. The other involved taking a stolen item back from a thief.

"It's Apple Woods, so Sunburst would do best," Lucar pointed out.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "Let's get Sunburst and go."

Heading back down the ladder, the trio reentered their room and then exited with Sunburst in tow. Leaving the Guild behind them, the four members of Team Legend arrived at the crossroads and went down the path that led toward the mystery dungeons. Carlos and Sandra focused solely on the missions, ignoring any rising images of the kiss Carlos had shared with Chelsey the night before.

_/I was pretty hung up over that kiss. Every time I started to muster up the courage to confess, somebody suddenly appears to steal Carlos from me. It was frustrating, honestly. It was like the whole world was against me. It's different now. Carlos isn't here anymore. It's hard to steal him away if he isn't here to be stolen. I still…miss him…/_

Arriving at Apple Woods, Carlos turned to his teammates and smiled. "Okay, guys, these missions involve fighting criminals. Sunburst, since this is your first time as an explorer, you can watch and learn if you want or you can jump right in. The enemies here are weak, but the criminals are sure to be strong."

"We get it, Carlos. We'll be careful," Sunburst teased.

Carlos nodded, turning away from his teammates. "Then let's go!" he cried, leading Team Legend into the mystery dungeon.

On the first floor, they ended up in a room with an Oddish and a Paras. The Oddish was quick to use Acid on them, hitting both Lucar and Sandra. Carlos hit it was Thunderbolt, allowing Sunburst to defeat it with Flamethrower. While her back was turned, the Paras hit her with Stun Spore and paralyzed her. It managed to hit Carlos and Sandra while it was at it. Lucar hit it with Force Palm, knocking it out instantly. Once the rest of the team could move, they headed for a nearby hall. Another Oddish appeared, slamming into Sandra and throwing her backward a few feet. Lucar quickly stepped forward, paws glowing. A bunch of large seeds erupted from his paws, knocking the Oddish out.

"Whoa!" Carlos cried. "Lucar, how did you do that?"

"It's a handy move called Copycat," Lucar explained. "It can mimic a single move of an opposing Pokemon and allow me to use it against them. The copied move only works until the opponent I copied it from faints."

His paws ceased to glow, signaling the end to the copied attack. Since the Oddish had fainted, his Copycat technique was over.

"And what move was that?" Sandra asked, getting to her paws and bounding over.

"Seed Bomb," Lucar replied.

"Clever," Sunburst complimented.

"Thanks," the blind Riolu nodded.

As Lucar turned away, the Quilava looked away. _I still have to apologize to him for the Grimy Food,_ she remembered. _But…when?_

"When did you learn to do that?" Carlos asked, amazed at his friend's newfound strength.

"I…had some help," Lucar admitted. "Remember Mark, the Lucario? I asked him to train me the night before we left the Northern Desert Kingdom."

"You did? And he trained you, no questions asked?" Sunburst questioned.

"He asked questions but, yeah, he trained me. I've learned a lot from him." Lucar replied. "Maybe you'll get to see more as we move through this place."

_/Lucar learned a lot from Mark, including a special technique that we wouldn't see until later. I still don't know how Lucar learned it. Maybe through pure will alone? Either way, it would become real useful in the future. And I mean 'in the future' both figuratively…and literally. You'll see what I mean…/_

"Awesome! Let's keep going!" Carlos cried. _Lucar's gotten stronger...and all without my knowledge, too! I wonder if he's the only one…_

They went down the corridor, passing by the Kecleon Shop in the next room. Passing through a few empty rooms and halls, they soon found themselves at a dead end. Backtracking to the first room, they defeated a trio of Hoppip and a Budew that swarmed them the moment they arrived in the room. They then took another corridor and defeated a Butterfree blocking the way. Upon finding the room with the stairs, they knocked out the Hoppip advancing on them from near the stairs and picked up an Apple in the corner before fleeing up the stairs.

On the second floor, they went down a long hall before arriving in a big room. Picking up the Max Elixir on the far wall, they headed for the next room and found the stairs. Picking up two Pecha Berries and defeating a Budew with Sunburst's Flamethrower, they ran upstairs to the next floor.

On the third floor, they moved through halls and rooms quickly. After a few empty rooms, Carlos found a Red Gummi and dropped it in their Treasure Bag. The eerie silence from before was shattered when a Budew, a Caterpie, and an Oddish ambushed them in the next corridor. Sandra knocked out the Budew with a well-aimed Shadow Ball, Carlos fried the Caterpie with Thunderbolt, and Lucar knocked the Oddish out with Rock Slide. In the next hall, a Budew jumped them from behind and was roasted by a frightened Sunburst.

"Stupid thing! It came out of nowhere!" Sunburst cried.

"That happens," Lucar chuckled.

"You'll get used to it," Carlos reassured, patting the Quilava on the shoulder. "We're explorers! This is our job."

"I'm starting to wonder if I picked the wrong job," Sunburst muttered, following her teammates as they moved ahead. _But, if it means seeing Carlos smiling like that everyday, it's worth it,_ she thought, smiling fondly at the Pikachu's back.

Reaching the next room, they were relieved to find the stairs. They ran up them quickly, eager to escape the eerily quiet floor.

On the fourth floor, Carlos led the way to the next room and picked up 37 poke. As they started to leave the room, an Exeggutor and a Paras arrived. A combination of Sandra's Shadow Ball and Sunburst's Flamethrower took down the towering Grass/Psychic-type, leaving Carlos to electrocute the Paras with a powerful Thunderbolt. The hall they went down led them right back to the first room, prompting them to take another hall. Picking up an Apple in the next room, Carlos quickly zapped a Caterpie before it could throw a sticky String Shot at Sunburst. The former princess glared hatefully at the Bug-type as it crumpled to the ground in a smoking heap.

"Gross thing," she muttered angrily.

"Again, you'll have to get used to it. You can't expect to always remain nice and clean while on missions," Lucar commented. "You're going to get dirty sooner or later, be it either by fighting or walking around a mystery dungeon. There's no avoiding it."

"Doesn't mean I can't try," Sunburst argued, looking away from both Lucar and the unconscious Caterpie.

In the next room, Carlos was quick to devour the Yellow Gummi he had found. Suddenly realizing something, he pulled out the Red Gummi he had found earlier and offered it to Sunburst. The Quilava blushed before accepting it, gnawing on it as they walked. The next room housed the stairs, a Pecha Berry, and a Burmy. Lucar's Force Palm knocked out the Burmy, allowing Carlos to pick up the Pecha Berry and lead them up the stairs.

On the fifth floor, they tiptoed around a sleeping Butterfree and crossed an empty room. Knocking out a Hoppip in the hall, they arrived in a room that had a few items inside of it. A Shiny Box was dropped to the ground by the Hoppip. Carlos picked it up, along with the Apple and 5 Sticks lying on the ground. The next room was a dead end, forcing them to backtrack until they found a new corridor to explore. In the next room they entered, Carlos picked up a Big Apple before leading his teammates up the stairs.

On the sixth floor, they encountered the first criminal on their list. It was a Flareon. Barely seconds after they arrived, the criminal lashed out with Quick Attack. Carlos dodged it with Double Team, tricking it with his clones before giving the Fire-type a nasty shock with Thunderbolt. When it turned to attack him, Sunburst hit it from behind with Quick Attack. Lucar then buried it under a pile of rocks with Rock Slide, knocking it out.

"How was that?" Carlos asked. "First criminal battle for you, Sunburst,"

"I barely did anything," the Quilava pointed out. "You tricked it, you shocked it, and Lucar buried it. I barely even hit it."

"It probably had Flash Fire, anyhow," Lucar commented. "Maybe it was better you didn't do much against it. Your Fire-type attacks wouldn't work. The next one's a Bronzor. We'll let you try fighting it. That should be a good first criminal battle for you."

"Sure," Sunburst nodded, grinning. _Time to prove how serious I am about this whole explorer thing! I'm sure to impress Carlos if I take out that Bronzor all by myself!_

Luckily for them, the stairs were in the next room. They went up them quickly.

On the seventh floor, Carlos easily defeated an attacking Paras with Thunderbolt. They went through two empty rooms and a long corridor that seemed to stretch around the whole outer edge of the floor before encountering another Paras. Sandra knocked it out with Quick Attack immediately. Continuing through the long corridor, they were ambushed by a Paras and a Butterfree. Lucar took out the Butterfree with Rock Slide, leaving Sunburst to hit the Paras with Flamethrower. When they finally found a room, Carlos grabbed an X-Eye Seed lying on the floor and entered the next room. Picking up 80 poke, they entered the next room and were attacked by an Exeggutor and a Gloom. Only then did Sunburst notice something.

"Carlos, Sandra and Lucar are gone!" the Quilava yelped, realizing the other two were no longer behind them.

"It happens sometimes. We'll meet up with them on the next floor," Carlos replied, electrocuting the Gloom. "Help me out here!"

Sunburst rammed into the Exeggutor with Quick Attack, forcing it back a step. Just before it could attack her, an orb of black and purple energy hit it from behind. The Grass/Psychic-type fainted, crashing to the floor. Sandra smiled triumphantly at her victory before bounding to Carlos as he defeated the Gloom.

"You're okay!" Sunburst cried. "Where were you?"

"I got turned around during that fight with Paras and Butterfree," Sandra replied. "Where's Lucar?"

"Still missing," the Quilava said.

"He'll be okay," the Eevee smiled. "Lucar knows how to handle this place."

_/Lucar seemed to be the most experienced of all of us when it came to mystery dungeons. He knew how to handle himself in them from the very beginning. I only had knowledge about them from my sister. Lucar seemed to have experience, as if he's been in them before. It would still be a while before we'd find out just where his experience came from./_

Picking up 72 poke lying nearby, the trio continued through the floor. The next room, luckily enough, contained the stairs. They went up them, eager to be reunited with their lost teammate.

On the eighth floor, Lucar smirked as he reappeared by Carlos' side. The four Team Legend members then turned to Bronzor, who hovered only a few feet away from them. The thief didn't seem too pleased to see them.

"Okay, Sunburst," Carlos said, turning to the former princess. "This battle's all yours. If you need help, just call. We're a team, remember?"

"I remember, Carlos. Don't worry." Sunburst stepped forward, the flames on her head and lower back igniting. _Time to prove my worth,_ she thought, smirking.


	55. Chapter 54: From Rivals to Friends

Chapter 54: From Rivals to Friends

Sunburst smirked as she fell into an attack stance, the flames on her body dancing. The Bronzor narrowed its eyes, drifting closer. The former princess quickly spotted the stolen Reviver Seed only a foot behind the Bronzor. Turning her attention back to the Steel/Psychic-type, she bared her teeth threateningly.

"You're going down," she growled.

"Bring it, fire rat!" the Bronzor dared.

Sunburst froze. _Fire…rat…?_

The Quilava crouched, flames growing white-hot as her eyes narrowed to slits. Her teeth were grit so much that she thought her teeth would break. Her paws were trembling with rage.

"You…" Sunburst growled.

Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar quickly backed off as the air around Sunburst began to shimmer with heat. The Bronzor drifted back, closer to the stolen Reviver Seed. Fear began to shine in its eyes. It was afraid.

Sunburst suddenly lifted her head. "DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!" she screamed, unleashing the biggest and strongest Flamethrower she could.

The Bronzor didn't even have time to scream before the flames engulfed it. The other three members of Team Legend quickly retreated to the hallway they had previously been in. The entire room was engulfed in flames and searing heat.

_/I've learned from experience that an angry Sunburst almost always leads to destruction. Getting her angry isn't a good idea. This mission is a perfect example of why. Even now, her temper still manages to scare me. She's not pulling so many rages nowadays. Maybe it's because she's too busy missing Carlos…/_

As quickly as it began, it was over. The flames faded, the heat lowered, and Sunburst's scream came to an end. The Quilava just watched with a satisfied smirk as the Bronzor dropped to the ground, unconscious and burned black from the flames. Approaching it, she stomped on the criminal a few times for good measure.

"Who are you calling a fire rat? Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the princess of the Northern Desert Kingdom! You don't talk to me that way! Take this and this and a little of that, too!"

"Poor guy," Sandra squeaked.

"Ouch…" Lucar groaned. "That has to hurt. Fire beats steel, after all."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded, in shock over the brief battle.

After a few minutes of the seemingly endless kicking, Sunburst stepped away from the Bronzor. "So, did I do well?" she asked, all traces of anger gone.

"Y-yeah," Sandra nodded.

_Maybe too well,_ Lucar thought. _She completely fried that guy. Ow…_

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"I'm fine," Sunburst replied, smiling. "Oh! We have to get the seed!"

"Uh… What seed?" Lucar asked, entering the room and approaching the beaten Bronzor.

"The seed that Bronzor stole! What did you call it? Resurrection Seed?" Sunburst reminded.

"Reviver," Sandra corrected.

"Yeah, that!" the Quilava nodded.

"Uh…" Lucar reached down to pick up something. "You mean…this?"

"Yeah! Tha…t?" Sunburst lowered the paw she had used to point at him. "Uh…"

Lucar held the Reviver Seed in his paws…or what was left of it. It was shrunken and blacked, completely burned. The power within it was no doubt gone. It was practically a Plain Seed. A burned one, at that.

"Oh… Oops…?" Sunburst smiled nervously at Carlos.

"We can…get another, right?" Carlos suddenly suggested. "From our storage? The client will never know the difference."

"Yeah!" Sandra, Lucar, and Sunburst nodded.

"Okay, that's the plan!" Carlos hurriedly said. "Let's keep going! Only two more floors and we can get out of here!"

"Yeah!" the other three cried.

Lucar quickly dropped the burned Plain Seed on the ground while Carlos used his badge to teleport Bronzor out of Apple Woods. They left the smoky room quickly, heading down many long corridors and a few small rooms. Nothing attacked them right away, as if the wild Pokemon instinctively knew that something big had happened and they were all in hiding because of it. Of course, the stillness and silence soon came to an end.

Entering another small room, a Beedrill lunged at them. A single Force Palm from Lucar knocked it out. In the next room, Carlos picked up 4 Sticks and had them tiptoe around a motionless Kakuna. Another few corridors and rooms were passed through before a Gloom jumped them in a hall. Sandra's Shadow Ball took it down, allowing them to enter the next room. In it was a sleeping Paras, two Apples, and the staircase to the next floor. Carlos quickly collected the Apples before an Exeggutor entered the room, using Barrage on Sunburst. Sandra's Shadow Ball knocked out the Paras, which had awoken when Carlos stepped too close to it. A powerful Thunderbolt from the Pikachu defeated the Exeggutor, saving Sunburst from anymore of its Barrage attacks. He picked up the Power Band it dropped.

"Ow! That hurt!" the Quilava complained, her body covered in bruises. "Stupid Exeggutor…"

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"No! I'm hurt and I'm tired!" Sunburst complained.

"That happens when you're on missions," Lucar pointed out.

"Only one more floor once we go up the stairs, Sunburst," Sandra reminded gently. "One more floor and we can go back to Treasure Town."

_/Yeah, I was being sympathetic. Even if Sunburst had received combat training from Mark back in the Northern Desert Kingdom, she wasn't taught how to handle outside environments. She wasn't given the same training as her brother, who frequently left the Northern Desert Kingdom to travel to other kingdoms. She wasn't expected to leave the kingdom…yet she did because of us. It was up to us to help her learn and adapt to life as an explorer. And what a rough life it is, especially compared to Sunburst's previous life as a comfy, spoiled princess./_

Sunburst panted for breath and slowly nodded. "Let's just hurry," she pleaded. "My paws are killing me!"

"Another disadvantage of Exploration Team life," Lucar commented. "You'll always be sore and tired at the end of every trip through a mystery dungeon."

"Shut up," Sunburst muttered.

"Come on, guys," Carlos encouraged, resting a paw on Sunburst's shoulder. "Only one more floor to go through and one more criminal to take out. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Lucar, Sandra, and Sunburst cried.

Carlos helped Sunburst to her feet. Checking to ensure there weren't any items lying around that he'd missed picking up, the Pikachu headed for the stairs. He led the way up them, heading for the next floor.

On the ninth floor, they tiptoed around yet another motionless Kakuna as they headed for the stairs across the room. A Paras suddenly appeared, only to be instantly taken out by Sandra's Shadow Ball. The four explorers quickly dashed up the stairs.

On the tenth floor, their final target was waiting for them. The criminal Oddish frowned upon seeing them, falling into an attack stance. Sunburst stepped back, having had enough of battling for one day. Carlos allowed it, focusing on the criminal.

The Grass-type instantly tossed an Acid at them. The trio dodged, scattering to form a ring around the Oddish. It then used Poison Powder and Stun Spore, poisoning Lucar and paralyzing Sandra. Carlos lunged before it could use Sleep Powder, crashing into it with Quick Attack. Lucar's Rock Slide stopped it from attempting to put Carlos to sleep a second time. Carlos' Thunderbolt succeeded in defeating it, completing Team Legend's third and final mission for the day.

"Finally!" Sunburst cried. "Can we leave now?"

"Yes, Sunburst," Carlos chuckled, smiling at his Fire-type teammate. "We can leave now."

Sandra and Lucar regrouped with Carlos and Sunburst, forming a smaller ring around the unconscious Oddish. Carlos pulled out his badge and pointed it at the Oddish.

"You might want to be aware that we'll probably end up in a pile when we get back," Lucar suddenly said, looking toward Sunburst.

"What?" Sunburst yelped.

"Mission 3 complete!" Carlos cried. "Time to head home, guys,"

White light engulfed the five Pokemon, sending them flying through the space-time tunnel. Sunburst screamed the whole way, having never traveled using the Explorer Badge before. As Lucar had warned, they landed in a pile. Sunburst, luckily enough, landed at the top of the pile.

Sheriff Magnezone was waiting for them, along with their Aerodactyl client. Flareon was already standing by Magnezone's side, glaring hatefully at Team Legend. Carlos handed over the unconscious Oddish. The Pikachu then fished a Reviver Seed out of Team Legend's Treasure Bag, handing it to the Aerodactyl.

"BZZZT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, TEAM LEGEND! TAKE THESE AS YOUR REWARDS! BZZZT!" Sheriff Magnezone said.

Carlos received a TM for Sleep Talk and 500 poke for Flareon's arrest. He then received a TM for Dig and 300 poke for Oddish's arrest. As an added bonus for bringing Bronzor back, he received 700 poke, a Yellow Gummi, and a White Gummi. Carlos and Sandra eagerly devoured their respective Gummis. Sheriff Magnezone quickly left the Guild, taking the three criminals with him.

The Aerodactyl smiled. "Thanks for retrieving my Reviver Seed! I don't know what I would've done without it! Please, take this as a reward!"

Carlos accepted the Max Elixir with a forced smile. "No problem," he replied. _Sorry that we destroyed your real Reviver Seed,_ he thought.

The Aerodactyl left the Guild without another word, clearly happy to have his item back. The four members of Team Legend looked at each other in guilt.

_/That was the first time we accidentally destroyed an item during a mission. It was quite a big slip-up on our part, even if it had been Sunburst's fault… I didn't enjoy having to lie to that Aerodactyl about us retrieving his Reviver Seed when, in reality, we had burned his to a crisp and simply gave him one of ours. I still wonder if he ever noticed the difference./_

Chatot smiled as he flew up to them. "Congratulations on another job well done!" he cried. "With those three missions complete, you've just gained 150 points. You now have 365 points total! Keep up the good work and you'll be at Gold Rank in no time!"

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. _Still…1600 is a lot of points,_ he thought.

Sunburst stretched, yawning. "I'm exhausted!"

"So am I," Lucar agreed.

"I'm going to head into town to drop off our money and items," Carlos said.

"I'll go with!" Sandra instantly volunteered.

"You know what? Count me in, too." Sunburst suddenly said.

"I thought you were tired," Carlos pointed out, confused.

"A little walking around won't hurt," the Quilava reasoned. "Let's go!"

_/Little did I know that Sunburst had a different reason for wanting to come along. That reason was…shocking, to say the least. I never expected it. Then again, we never expected what would happen in town that day either. So many surprises…/_

"Good luck, guys," Lucar wished, returning to Team Legend's room to rest.

Carlos led the way up the ladder and out of the Guild, heading down the stone steps toward Treasure Town. Entering the main square, Carlos handed off the Treasure Bag to Sandra and headed for Duskull Bank to deposit their extra money. Sandra slowly shuffled down the street, reluctant to leave Carlos alone.

"What's with you? Come on!" Sunburst grabbed the Eevee's paw and dragged her down the street toward Kangaskhan Storage. Once their excess items were stored, Sunburst pulled Sandra aside. "Okay, what happened?"

"Huh?" Sandra blinked slowly in confusion.

"Last night, when you came back crying?" Sunburst prodded.

"Oh! That… Um…" Sandra looked away. "I… Well…"

"Spit it out already!" the former-princess barked.

"W-Why do you care, anyway?" Sandra suddenly demanded, fighting back tears of frustration. "You wouldn't understand! You didn't have to see a total stranger kissing the guy you're in love with!"

Sunburst stepped back, shocked at the Eevee's outburst. Then she realized what Sandra had just said. "Someone kissed Carlos? Who?"

"Some female Pikachu," Sandra replied, glaring at the ground. "Carlos didn't even know I was there…but _she_ did. She was looking at me when she kissed him."

"The nerve of that… GRRR!" Sunburst growled, the flames of her head and lower back igniting angrily. "How dare she?"

"Yeah," Sandra nodded, sniffling.

Sunburst, realizing Sandra's depressed mood, forced herself to calm down. "Hey, cheer up. It's not like Carlos kissed her back…right?"

"It…didn't look like it," Sandra admitted. "If anything, it looked like she just kissed him…on a whim."

"Did you know her?" Sunburst asked.

"No," Sandra replied. "At least…I don't think so. She looked familiar, though. I don't know why."

"Weird…" Sunburst scratched her chin thoughtfully. "You haven't told anyone else this, have you?"

"No," Sandra groaned. "Only you…"

Sunburst sighed. "You really need to learn to tell others your problems," she commented. "Bottling them up inside only makes it worse. Carlos and the others have been worried about you, you know."

"I don't want to bother them with my problems," Sandra said. "Especially not Carlos…"

"I take it that Carlos doesn't know you like him," the Quilava guessed.

Sandra shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted, blushing. "Sometimes it looks like he does and other times…like he doesn't."

"How ignorant can he be?" Sunburst joked. She suddenly grabbed the Eevee's paw. "Come on. Let's get Carlos and go. The least you can do is tell the others about this so they'll stop worrying."

"Okay," Sandra nodded.

_With Carlos…_

The Pikachu smiled as he left Duskull Bank, noticing that his two teammates were still gone. Shrugging, he began to head down the road toward Kangaskhan Storage…when an all-too-familiar voice came from behind him.

"Nice to see you again, Carlos."

He whirled around in surprise. It was Chelsey. The female Pikachu smiled kindly as she approached him. Carlos tensed, instantly wary. Chelsey frowned, reaching out a paw to stroke his cheek.

"What's wrong? Not happy to see me?" she asked, blue eyes shining sadly.

Carlos tore his gaze from her eyes. Something about her just screamed 'pay attention to me' and he found it hard to resist her…charm? He wasn't truly sure what it was. Something about it didn't sit right with him, though.

"Why did you kiss me?" Carlos demanded coldly.

"Because I like you," Chelsey replied, her gaze drifting over his shoulder when two figures appeared down the street. _Her again…and she has a friend. Interesting…_

Carlos pulled away from her touch. "How can you like me? We hardly know each other."

"Love knows no bounds," Chelsey said, stepping closer to him.

Her gaze once more drifted over his shoulder, noticing how the Eevee froze upon seeing them. It was the Quilava's angry reaction that made Chelsey smile. She focused her gaze on Carlos again.

"I'm sorry but I don't like you," Carlos said hesitantly. "Not like that. Maybe we could be friends but—"

"Why?" Chelsey asked. "Do you like someone else?"

"Well, no… At least, I don't think—" Carlos stammered, blushing.

"Then what's wrong with me?" Chelsey questioned, stepping closer and resting her paws on his cheeks, leaving him no other place to look at but her. "Trust me. Nobody can love you as much as I can."

Carlos never got to reply. Chelsey pressed her lips against his, her chest brushing his. Her paws pinched his cheeks as she deepened the kiss. Static jumped from her cheeks at the ferocity of it.

She tore away upon hearing a loud yell. Chelsey hardly had time to step away before a blur of blue and cream crashed into her, sending them both rolling across the ground. Villagers scattered, screaming in fear as the pair separated. Chelsey touched her mouth, tasting blood from her split lip. She looked up to see Sunburst standing there, flames raging and eyes narrowed in anger.

"How dare you?" the Quilava hissed.

"Sunburst, stop!" Carlos cried.

Sunburst ignored him, lunging at the female Pikachu with Quick Attack. Chelsey suddenly seemed to disappear from view, reappearing behind the Quilava only seconds later. Sunburst screamed as electricity struck her, pain shooting through her body from the blast. When it ended, she fell onto her stomach on the ground.

"Sunburst!" Sandra wailed, dashing forward.

Chelsey sighed, flexing the fingers on the paw she had used to shock Sunburst. Turning her attention to the dumbfounded Carlos, she smiled. "Until next time," She kissed him on the forehead before bounding away, disappearing from sight.

"Ugh… That little…" Sunburst coughed, wincing as pain erupted from her back. "Ow! Stupid rat!"

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah," Sunburst nodded. "You?"

"I'm fine! Why did you do that?" Carlos demanded.

Sunburst struggled to her feet. "Because it was the right thing to do," she replied.

_Huh?_ Carlos just stared at her in confusion.

"Let's go home," Sandra finally suggested after a few minutes of awkward silence.

Carlos led the way back to the Guild, lost in thought over Sunburst's answer. Sunburst leaned against Sandra, flashing the Eevee a smile. Sandra smiled back, not minding the extra weight.

If only they had taken the time to look down the path before climbing the stairs leading up to the Guild. If they had, they would've seen Chelsey scampering into the bushes. The bush she went into suddenly began to glow…

_Wigglytuff's Guild, Team Legend's room…_

"…and that's what happened," Sandra finished at last.

"I can't believe it!" Luv cried. "And she doesn't even know Carlos!"

"And we don't know her," Zuzu added.

"Why would she do that then?" Joy asked. "It makes no sense."

"Agreed," Lucar nodded. "Unless…"

"What is it, Lucar?" Blackie asked, looking at the blind Riolu.

Lucar turned to look at Carlos and Sandra. "You both said something was familiar about…Chelsey, was it?"

"That's what she said her name was," Carlos confirmed.

"How did she look familiar?" Lucar asked.

"Well…" Sandra looked away, nervous. "Something about her… I don't really know. I just felt like I had met her before."

"Same," Carlos nodded. "I just don't remember where, but…I had a bad feeling about it."

"A bad feeling?" Blackie repeated, confused.

"Yeah, like…" Carlos scratched his head, frowning. "Like, whenever we had previously met, something terrible had happened."

"Could she have been someone from your past?" Joy asked. "From before you lost your memories?"

"Maybe," the Pikachu shrugged. "But it feels…more recent than that. I just…don't know why."

The nine members of Team Legend sat in their room, wracking their memories for anything that might relate to a Pikachu named Chelsey. All throughout that time, Lucar kept glancing at Carlos and Sandra. The blind Riolu frowned.

_Maybe it's time Carlos found out,_ he decided.

_On the outskirts of Treasure Town…_

Chelsey sighed as she reached the hollow log she had been resting in for the past few days. Entering it, she flopped down on the nest of leaves she had built. Warmth pulsated from a round object only a few inches to her right. She lifted a paw to check the temperature, smiling when it met her expectations.

"I've had enough playing around," she muttered, sitting up. "It was fun to mess with them at first but now…"

She spared a glance at the warm object before picking it up. The warmth radiating from it reassured her that it was okay. She set it down again and headed toward the entrance of her makeshift den, frowning.

"Enough games," she said firmly. "It's time to get down to business. I have better things to do than stick around here any longer. I just have to get rid of this thing and move on. Now then…how to do it?"

A few moments passed before an idea hit her. Grinning, the Pikachu laughed as she stepped into the moonlight. Then something strange happened.

Her body began to ripple and glow, changing shape from a Pikachu to a pink blob. After a few seconds, the glow faded. Standing in Chelsey's place…was Phantom Thief Jealousy.

"Soon," the criminal Ditto vowed. "Soon…"


	56. Chapter 55: Meeting Plans

Chapter 55: Meeting Plans

"UP AND AT 'EM, ROOKIES! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ugh…" Carlos forced himself to sit up, rubbing his eyes.

"Does he do that _every_ morning?" Sunburst asked, yawning.

"Yep," Sandra replied, blinking tiredly.

"You get used to it," Joy reassured. "…I think."

"Obviously, Michael has," Lucar noted.

Despite Loudred's loud bellow, the Minun was still fast asleep. Everyone just stared at his small, sleeping form before bursting out laughing. The same Minun who awoke crying to that bellow only weeks ago could now sleep through it with no problems whatsoever.

"That's so cool!" Zuzu laughed. "I wish I could do that!"

"Me too!" Luv agreed, smiling. "Lucky kid!"

Carlos stood up and stretched. "Come on, guys! We've got missions to do!" he reminded. "We don't want to be late, right?"

"Nope!" Sandra chirped.

Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar headed out into the main room just in time to recite the Guild cheers. Once those were said, everyone dispersed to do their assigned work. Just before Carlos headed back to Team Legend's room to decide who else to bring with them for missions, Chatot spoke.

"Team Legend, I'd like a word with you," he requested.

"What is it?" Sandra asked.

Chatot sighed as the trio stood before him. "I have an errand I want you three to run for me before you head out on your missions. I want you to go to the Kecleon Market and ask the owners if they plan to add Perfect Apples to their inventory anytime soon."

"That sounds easy enough," Carlos commented.

"Any particular reason why you want to know that, Chatot?" Lucar asked.

"If Kecleon Market plans to sell Perfect Apples, it would be easier to obtain them," Chatot explained. "As you know, Guildmaster Wigglytuff loves Perfect Apples and devours them readily. He sneaks into the larder frequently and depletes our store of them. If Kecleon Market began selling Perfect Apples, there would be no need to send an Exploration Team to Apple Woods to collect more."

"You could buy them instead!" Sandra realized.

"Correct! It would be a win-win situation for all!" Chatot declared with a smile.

"Count on it done, Chatot! We'll be back soon!" Carlos promised.

"Good!" the Flying-type nodded.

The three members of Team Legend quickly left the Guild, bounding down the stone steps toward Treasure Town. Carlos stopped briefly at Duskull Bank to drop off their money. With that completed, Carlos led his teammates across the bridge and toward Kecleon Market.

"Hey, look! It's Dusknoir!" Sandra cried.

The Ghost-type turned to them, having heard his name. "Ah, if it isn't Team Legend. I was hoping to see you again," he commented. "Is it just the three of you today?"

"At the moment, yeah," Carlos nodded. "Good to see you too, sir. Are you shopping?"

"No, I was just enjoying a friendly chat. It's good to learn from others once in a while." Dusknoir laughed.

"And what an interesting chat it was!" the green Kecleon brother pointed out. "The rumors are certainly true!"

"It's almost as if there's nothing you don't know, Dusknoir!" the purple Kecleon brother added.

"I know much more than many Pokemon, but even I do not know everything." Dusknoir corrected gently. "There are still many things I do not know. That is what makes life so enjoyable. There is so much to see and learn."

"Agreed!" the Kecleon brothers nodded.

"Chatot sent us here to ask something of you guys," Lucar piped up, looking at the brothers.

"Oh, really?" the green brother asked.

"What is it?" the purple brother questioned.

"Chatot wants to know if you're planning to sell Perfect Apples here soon," Carlos explained.

"Perfect Apples?" The brothers looked at one another in confusion. The green one shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry, Carlos, but we aren't."

"Oh," Carlos' ears lowered. "That's okay. Chatot just wanted to know."

"Again, we're terribly sorry," the purple brother said.

"That's okay," Lucar reassured. "Honesty's a good thing to have, especially for a shopkeeper."

"Agreed," Dusknoir said. "Quite the wise one you are, little Riolu."

"Thanks," Lucar replied.

"Wait up, Azurill! Slow down!" a voice cried.

"Huh?" Carlos stepped away from the shop and looked further down the path. "It's Marill and Azurill!"

"Hey, Marill! Azurill! Hi!" Sandra cried.

Both Pokemon skidded to a stop in front of the trio, gasping for breath. Azurill smiled at them happily. Once Marill caught his breath, he nodded to the group.

"Hi, guys," Marill greeted.

"Where are you two off to in such a hurry?" the green Kecleon brother asked.

"To the beach!" Azurill replied, a big smile crossing his face. "Someone says they saw our Water Float there!"

"Water Float?" Lucar repeated. "You were looking for that before, weren't you? It's still missing?"

"Not for much longer, hopefully," Marill replied.

"What's a Water Float?" the purple Kecleon brother asked.

"It's a special item that only works on Azurill," Dusknoir explained. "It's very rare."

"Yep! That's why we've been looking so hard for it!" Azurill cried.

"Come on, Azurill! Let's go see if it's really there!" Marill encouraged.

"Yeah! Bye, guys!" Azurill said hurriedly.

"Good luck!" Carlos wished.

The brothers bounded away as fast as their short legs could take them, quickly disappearing from view. Carlos and Sandra turned back to speak with Dusknoir and the Kecleon brothers, but Lucar kept staring at where Marill and Azurill's auras were. He could sense other auras, two at least, following them. The auras seemed…familiar somehow. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, though.

_/We'd find out who those two were soon enough. I almost forgot about them in the conflicts we'd been having with Thrax and Chelsey. These two auras would be causing us more trouble still, but they'd also be the catalyst in causing one of our bigger problems. I'll get back to that later, though./_

"Lucar? Lucar? Lucar!" a voice called.

"Huh?" Lucar snapped back to attention. "What?"

"Are you okay? You zoned out…or something." Carlos explained.

"Yeah," the blind Riolu nodded. "I just… Never mind. It's probably not important."

"We have to get back to the Guild and tell Chatot about the Perfect Apples," Sandra reminded.

"I know," Lucar said.

"Then let's go! We've got missions to do!" Carlos cried.

"This was a nice chat. I hope to see you again, Team Legend." Dusknoir commented.

"I'm sure you will," Carlos reassured. "Come on, guys!"

The dash back to the Guild took a bit longer than the dash from the Guild. Lucar had stopped at the base of the steps, looking toward the ocean. Carlos called him at least six times before the Riolu snapped out of it and followed them up the steps. Lucar quickly dismissed Carlos' questions, sticking with his previous response.

"It's nothing important. I just thought I sensed something," he said.

Once they were inside Wigglytuff's Guild, the trio climbed down the ladders to the second underground floor. Chatot was waiting for them. Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar lined up in front of him.

"Well?" Chatot asked.

"I'm sorry, Chatot…but they aren't." Carlos replied, looking at the ground.

"What? Why not?" Chatot demanded.

"They didn't give a reason," Lucar explained. "They just said they had no plans to stock Perfect Apples."

"Well, I…" Chatot hung his head sadly. "Fine, I guess there's nothing to be done there."

"We can always go get Perfect Apples fo—" Carlos started, only to be interrupted by Chatot's terrified squawk.

"Absolutely not! You failed the last time I sent you!" he cried. "I can't handle that again!"

"That wasn't our fault! First there was Sku—" Carlos tried to argue but was once more cut off by Chatot.

"No excuses!" Chatot stopped, sighing sadly. "I'm sorry, Carlos. You've done so many outstanding things for us, such as the expedition and the mission to the Northern Desert Kingdom, but I can't risk a second failure involving the Guildmaster's Perfect Apples. Please, try to understand," he reasoned, feathers ruffled. "I'll just…have to go get them myself. Yes, that's the best course of action!"

Chatot soon hopped away, mumbling plans to himself. Assuming they were off the hook, Carlos led his two friends back to Team Legend's room. Sunburst was still sore from the missions she had participated in the day before, leaving Blackie to join them. The black Pikachu bounded after them as they headed upstairs to pick missions out.

After a bit of searching, Carlos plucked five missions to Waterfall Cave off of the Job Bulletin and Outlaw Notice Boards. One was an escort mission, one was a search mission, one was a rescue mission, and two were arrest missions. Stuffing them into the Treasure Bag, Carlos led the way out of the Guild and to the crossroads. Plusle, the one they had to escort, was waiting patiently for them. Just before they headed down the path that would lead them to Waterfall Cave, an all-too-familiar voice called out to Carlos.

"Carlos! Can I talk to you for a minute?" It was Chelsey.

Sandra's fur began to bristle in anger. Lucar instantly sensed the Eevee's rage and quickly realized that the Pikachu before them must be Chelsey, the one who had stolen two kisses from Carlos in front of her. He focused on the female Pikachu's aura, only to freeze.

_That aura!_ Lucar thought. _Could that really be…?_

Carlos frowned before walking toward her. He kept a good amount of distance between them, though. Chelsey put on a hurt expression. Carlos forced himself to ignore it. He refused to fall for her charm again.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Awww! Why are you acting so mean now, Carlos? And here, I though we were…" Her eyes drifted to Sandra briefly. "…friends. Why so cold?"

"I have a job to do at the moment," Carlos replied firmly. "Can we talk later?"

"Of course!" Chelsey nodded. "Exactly what I was going to say. I wanted to…apologize for last night. I was only defending myself. I didn't mean to hurt your Quilava friend, honest. Can we meet tonight, before sunset? Right here, maybe?"

"Sure," Carlos nodded. "I've got a few things I've got to speak to you about, too."

"Okay! See you tonight!" Chelsey bounded away without another word.

"Carlos," Sandra suddenly said. "I don't trust her. Not after…you know…"

"I know," the Pikachu agreed. "I'm going to sort things out with her. She can't be allowed to do this."

"Carlos, I'd like to talk to you later too. Preferably before you meet Chelsey," Lucar suddenly requested.

"Huh? Sure," Carlos nodded. "After the missions?"

"Sure," the Riolu agreed.

_/Both of these conversations would prove to be important not only to Team Legend's future, but to me and Carlos' futures. I wasn't present for either conversation, sadly. It would actually still be a while before I'd ever be informed what either conversation was about. What big secrets they were…/_

"Good," Carlos smiled. "Now that that's settled, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Sandra, Lucar, and Blackie cried.

They set off down the path at a quick pace, wanting to return to the Guild before sunset. They reached Waterfall Cave in no time. Lucar, Sandra, and Plusle jumped through the waterfall with no problems, but Blackie was an entirely different story. Carlos ended up tying the black Pikachu's scarf over his eyes and jumping through the rushing wall of water with him. Once they were all across and Blackie's scarf was settled back in place, they set off into the mystery dungeon.

On the first floor, they ended up in the same room as the stairs. Carlos picked up 53 poke before leading his teammates down the stairs.

On the second floor, Carlos picked up a Special Band before heading down a corridor. After passing through a few empty halls and rooms, they found the stairs. Carlos grabbed 24 poke before they dashed down them.

On the third floor, they headed through even more empty rooms and corridors. It wasn't long before they located Chingling, Plusle's friend. They two hugged, laughing joyfully.

"Thanks for helping me find Chingling!" Plusle said, smiling. "I'll make sure you get a really good reward!"

"Glad to know we can help," Carlos replied, holding up his badge. "Mission 1 complete!"

Once Plusle and Chingling were teleported away, the four Team Legend members continued onward. The stairs were found with little difficulty. Lucar held out a paw to stop Carlos before he headed down them.

"It's quiet," the blind Riolu noted. "Really quiet…"

"And empty," Sandra whimpered, looking around nervously.

"Mystery dungeons are never this quiet or empty," Lucar agreed. "Something's up…"

"But what?" Carlos asked.

"I don't honestly know," Lucar admitted. "But we should be extra careful."

"Blackie, stay close," Carlos advised.

"Okay," Blackie nodded, fighting off a shiver of fear. _This feeling… I know it from somewhere. But from where?_

The four Pokemon huddled close together before quickly going down the stairs.

_/Lucar's right about that. Mystery dungeons aren't quiet or empty. They're loud and full of wild Pokemon. If neither of those is present, you know something's wrong. We wouldn't find out the cause of the eerie silence for a while. We'd find out eventually, though. It wouldn't go down so well for Blackie, though./_

On the fourth floor, more empty rooms and corridors were encountered by the group. The silence was so horrible that when they finally came across a Grimer, Sandra nearly jumped out of her fur with fright. Blackie electrocuted it instantly out of terror, knocking it out. In the next room, Carlos grabbed 5 Geo Pebbles and 16 poke. A Lotad ambushed them in the next hall and was quickly defeated by Carlos' Thunderbolt. The four began to relax now that wild Pokemon were appearing again. In the next room they entered, Tangle dashed up to them happily.

"You found me! Finally!" he cried. "I thought I'd be stuck here forever!"

"We'd never let that happen. No Exploration Team would," Carlos reassured, holding up his badge.

Tangela was teleported away safely, allowing Team Legend to continue on. The next room held the stairs but a Surskit was guarding them. Sandra's Shadow Ball and Lucar's Force Palm defeated it soundly, allowing them to race downstairs.

On the fifth floor, they came face to face with the criminal Aron. The Steel-type growled at them threateningly, clearly not happy to see them. The four scattered when he charged, forming a loose ring around him. Carlos and Blackie distracted him with a double Thunderbolt, allowing Lucar to bury him with Rock Slide. Right when Aron freed himself, he was defeated by a Force Palm to the face. Immediately afterward, Carlos teleported him out of the mystery dungeon with his badge.

"One criminal down, one to go," the Pikachu said.

A Surskit attacked them from a nearby waterway when they attempted to leave the room. Carlos' Thunderbolt fried it, allowing them to get away. After that, the corridors and rooms were once again empty. The moment the stairs were found, the four Team Legend members bolted down them.

On the sixth floor, the criminal Magby awaited them. Sandra hit it with Shadow Ball, allowing Carlos and Lucar to jump in with a double Quick Attack combo. Blackie's Dig finished off the Fire-type, ending the battle.

"Mission 4 complete!" Carlos announced, teleporting the criminal back to the Guild with his badge.

"I know so many strange moves," Blackie muttered. "Dig, Grass Knot, Focus Punch…"

"Maybe Thrax thought that TMs were better than a Pikachu's natural moves," Lucar guessed.

"Maybe," Blackie nodded.

"Let's keep going," Carlos said. "Only one more mission left."

Carlos headed down a corridor and picked up a Reviver Seed in the next room. A Pecha Berry was found and grabbed in the next room over. They ended up hitting a dead end and turned around, only to be attacked by a Tangela in the next hall. Sandra and Carlos both used Quick Attack to knock it out. After passing through a few more empty halls, a Grimer ambushed them right in front of the room containing the stairs. Lucar's Rock Slide defeated it. They all went down the stairs.

On the seventh floor, they appeared in a large, empty room. Entering a nearby corridor, a Wooper jumped them. Blackie electrocuted it, spooked by its sudden appearance. Lucar threw in a Force Palm for extra damage. The Water-type was knocked out instantly from the combined hits. Continuing onward, they found the stairs in the next room. Just before the four teammates could head down them, a Poliwag attacked. Lucar used Quick Attack to knock it out. Then they swiftly headed down the stairs.

On the eighth floor, they had to fight a Whiscash immediately. Carlos and Blackie avoided using their electricity, knowing it would do nothing against the Water/Ground-type. Sandra's Shadow Ball and Lucar's Rock Slide ended up doing the trick, defeating it without much trouble. The stairs were right behind where it once was but the four Pokemon ignored them, heading for a nearby corridor to hunt for their client.

Their client, Taillow, was in the next room. "You found me! Hooray!" he cried, flapping toward them. "Get me out of here! It's scary!"

"Got it," Carlos nodded, lifting his badge. "Mission 5 complete!"

White light engulfed all five of them, sending them back to Wigglytuff's Guild. After they struggled to disentangle themselves, Taillow quickly flapped over to his mother. Carlos and his teammates faced their clients to receive their rewards.

Plusle and Chingling went first. "Thanks so much for helping me find Chingling! I was worried sick about her!" Plusle cried.

"I'm sorry I got lost," Chingling apologized, looking at the ground sadly.

"I know," Plusle hugged her friend, smiling. Then she looked at Team Legend. "Anyway, take these!"

Carlos accepted the Power Band, Blue Gummi, and the 5 Gravelerocks she gave them. He stowed them away in the Treasure Bag. He then faced Tangela as he stepped forward. Another Chingling, the one who had requested the search, joined him.

"Thanks for finding Tangela," she said. "I was so scared. I actually thought he'd drowned or something in there."

"I'm fine!" Tangela pointed out firmly. "Do I look dead?"

"You never know," Chingling shrugged. "Please take these as payment. I don't need them."

She gave them a Blue Gummi, 5 Gravelerocks, and a Violent Seed. Carlos quickly put them into the Treasure Bag. Sheriff Magnezone floated forward next, the criminals Aron and Magby behind him.

"BZZZT! THANK YOU FOR CAPTURING THESE TWO, TEAM LEGEND! YOU HAVE BEEN A BIG HELP! TAKE THESE ARE A REWARD FOR YOUR HARD WORK! BZZZT!"

_/Sheriff Magnezone is definitely our best client. We see him nearly everyday at the Guild. He definitely sticks to his job. I know Carlos still felt bad for letting all those criminals loose when he broke out of prison. Most of those criminals were probably brought in by Sheriff Magnezone. All that hard work…destroyed all in one night. Poor guy…/_

Carlos accepted the Silver Bow and the TM for Fire Blast. Sheriff Magnezone quickly left, the criminals in tow. Taillow and his mother, Swellow, stepped forward next as Team Legend's last clients of the day.

"Thank you for rescuing my baby. Please, take this. I insist!" Swellow chirped, keeping her son close to her side.

Carlos gladly accepted the Grass Gummi she gave them, smiling as she flew out of the Guild with her baby boy. Placing it in the Treasure Bag, the four Pokemon headed back to Team Legend's room. The sun was beginning to touch the horizon. Sunset was nearing.

After a bit of rest in Team Legend's room, Carlos followed Lucar as he left the Guild. Once they passed the grate, the blind Riolu sat down at the base of one of the many totem poles that lined the path leading into Wigglytuff's Guild. Carlos joined him, eyeing the sinking sun.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" the Pikachu asked.

"It's more like I have a…question for you." Lucar started, fumbling his front paws. _How to phrase this…_

"What question?" Carlos asked.

The blind Riolu looked up at Carlos and sighed. "What I want to know is…what do you think of Sandra?"


	57. Chapter 56: A Deceitful Encounter

Chapter 56: An Encounter of a Deceitful Kind

Carlos blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"What do you think of Sandra?" Lucar repeated firmly.

"Well…" Carlos looked at the ground briefly. "She's a really kind person. She's a great friend, definitely."

"Is that all she is? A friend?" the blind Riolu asked.

"She's not just my friend! She's my teammate… _Our_ teammate, Lucar!" Carlos reminded.

"But is there more to it than friendship, Carlos?" Lucar questioned.

"What are you talking about, Lucar?" Carlos demanded.

"You really don't see it, do you?" Lucar muttered.

"See what?" the Pikachu barked. "You're confusing me, Lucar! What's all this about?"

"Great Arceus…" Lucar rubbed his forehead.

"What?" Carlos nearly yelled. "What's the matter?"

"Remember the expedition, the night before we entered Mt. Horn?" Lucar asked.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "What about it?"

"Didn't Sandra act odd that night?" the Riolu commented.

"Odd…?" Carlos tapped his chin in thought.

"Around you specifically?" Lucar added.

Carlos looked up at the darkening sky overhead, recalling that night so long ago.

_"I bet you could handle anything if you tried hard enough, Sandra." Carlos pointed out. "You just have to believe that nothing can stop you."  
"R-r-really?" Sandra blushed. "Th-thanks!"  
"No problem!" Carlos replied, smiling. "That's what friends are for, right?"  
"Y-yeah," Sandra nodded, blushing even more. _Why am I feeling like this? Could I really love Carlos? Then why can't I say it to him?_ "U-um, Carlos?"  
"Huh?" The Pikachu looked at her. "What is it?"  
"U-um, I...I really like Oran Berries!" Sandra suddenly cried. _What was that? I'm too scared to tell him!_ She felt ready to cry.  
"I like Oran Berries, too." Carlos said. "Funny! You and I have something in common."  
_Something in common? Could he mean...?_ Sandra blushed even more as she imagined Carlos admitting his love for her. _No way! He couldn't mean that! He wouldn't be so direct...would he?  
_ "Uh...Sandra? Are you okay?" Carlos asked. "You're looking kind of red. Are you sick?"  
"Huh? No! I'm not sick! I'm hot!" Sandra cried. "No! Wait! Not that kind of hot! Like temperature-wise, hot! I just... Please, ignore me!"  
Before Carlos could say anything, Sandra flopped down on the ground and curled up in a ball. The Pikachu groaned._

"Well… Sandra _was_ acting a bit weird," Carlos admitted. "Like she had something she wanted to say…but couldn't bring herself to say it."

"Any ideas what it might be that she wanted to say?" Lucar asked.

"I'm not a Psychic-type Pokemon, Lucar. How would I know?" Carlos countered.

"Take a guess based on how she was acting," Lucar encouraged.

"Why?" Carlos asked. "What does all this have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything, Carlos. Take a guess," the Riolu urged.

"She was tired, okay? It was a long walk through Craggy Coast," Carlos finally said. "Happy?"

"Ugh… You _really_ don't see it!" Lucar cried in disbelief.

"Don't see what?" Carlos demanded. "You're running me in circles, Lucar! What are you trying to say?"

"Sandra is in love with you!" Lucar finally shouted, jumping to his feet. "She's loved you since we first became Team Legend! I noticed but I kept it to myself, thinking you'd figure it out one day. Apparently, you won't. You're clever when it comes to exploring, fighting, and making friends but the moment love is involved… You can't even recognize it!"

"Huh?" Carlos squeaked.

"All this time, Sandra's been waiting for you to acknowledge that you love her back. You haven't done anything for that," Lucar said. "You've helped her as any friend would but—"

"Nobody even asked me if I loved Sandra back!" Carlos argued, jumping to his feet.

"Do you then? Or don't you?" Lucar asked.

"How should I know?" the Pikachu demanded.

Both Pokemon just stood there, panting for breath from their argument. Lucar was the first to back down, looking away. Carlos soon followed, sitting down again. The silence stretched on.

_/Arguments among friends are inevitable. Everyone sees things differently and believes their views are right. This wouldn't be the last argument within our team. It was definitely one of the most important ones, though./_

"I'm sorry," Carlos said softly. "I didn't mean to yell."

"I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that," Lucar apologized. "It's just… This whole business with Chelsey… So soon after Sunburst…"

"Sunburst liked me?" Carlos asked. "I knew she was acting weird around me. I thought that she just didn't like you and Sandra."

"That, too," Lucar admitted. "This is just a guess but…I think she wanted you to escort her home alone. She tried to get us sent home."

Carlos blinked in shock. "Sandra's weird behavior! Sunburst did that!"

"I think so," Lucar nodded. "And that Grimy Food incident… I doubt that was an accident."

"Sunburst did all that…?" Carlos stared at the ground in shock. "But…Sandra seems better now. She and Sunburst even looked like friends yesterday after Chelsey electrocuted Sunburst."

"Maybe they already made up," Lucar shrugged.

"But she hasn't with you," Carlos pointed out.

"She might be waiting for the right time," Lucar guessed.

"I'll have to talk to her about that," Carlos promised. "Lucar… Does Sandra really like me?"

"A lot," Lucar nodded.

"I don't know if I like her or not," Carlos admitted. "I haven't had time to think about falling in love, what with all the missions we've been on."

"Will you think about it now?" Lucar asked.

Carlos looked up at his blind teammate. "Maybe," he shrugged. "I'll sure try."

Lucar stood up. "I think sunset's here," he noted. "It's time for you to go see Chelsey."

"Is Chelsey why you wanted to talk to me?" Carlos asked.

"Be careful of her," Lucar warned. "Chelsey isn't who she seems to be."

"I guessed that much," the Pikachu said, getting up again. "See you later."

"See you," Lucar agreed, stepping aside.

Carlos dashed down the stairs, leaving the Guild far behind. Once he was out of sight, Lucar began to follow. _I'm not letting Carlos fall into whatever trap you have set, Chelsey,_ he thought. _Or should I say…Jealousy!_

_Treasure Town, the crossroads…_

Chelsey smiled as Carlos arrived. "Hi, Carlos!" she cried, diving in to hug him.

The Pikachu sidestepped her. "Chelsey, stop it," he said firmly.

"B-but…" Chelsey whimpered. "W-why, Carlos?"

"I just… This isn't right," Carlos explained. "I… I don't like you, Chelsey. I hardly even know you!"

"Love knows no boundaries," Chelsey purred, hugging his arm. "We'll learn about each other with time."

"Knock it off already!" Carlos pushed her off of him, backing up a few steps. "Just… Quit it, okay?"

"Why are you being so mean?" Chelsey asked innocently. Then she frowned. "It's that Quilava, isn't it? I told you I was sorry."

"I know," Carlos muttered.

"She attacked me first! Don't I have the right to defend myself?" the female Pikachu demanded.

"Of course! But—" Carlos was suddenly interrupted by a quiet revelation.

"You like her," Chelsey said softly.

"Who?" Carlos asked, suddenly afraid.

"The Quilava, the Eevee, whoever!" She glared at Carlos. "You like them! Them and not me!"

"I don—"

"What do they have that I don't, Carlos?" Chelsey shouted. "Tell me! Tell me so I can be like that!"

"I DON'T LIKE ANYONE!" Carlos yelled, clapping his paws over his ears and dropping to his knees.

_/Carlos was new on the romance scene. He didn't know how to answer questions like that. He had no interest in anyone beyond friendship. No doubt it was scary for him. And there I was, living in a fantasy that he would one day confess his undying love to me. How foolish I was./_

"…What?" Chelsey kneeled beside the trembling Pikachu, resting a paw on his shoulder.

"I don't like anyone," Carlos whispered. "Not like that… Not yet… I don't know…what to do… I don't want…to hurt anyone…"

"Carlos…" Chelsey gently pulled him to his feet, a small frown on her face. "I… I'm sorry, Carlos. I didn't mean to, honest."

"Maybe if we had more time, you know, to get to know each other. Maybe then I'd figure out if I really liked you or not." Carlos said.

Chelsey suddenly smiled. "I know how to get more time," she commented.

Carlos lifted his head. "How?" he asked.

The female Pikachu grabbed his paw. "Come with me. I'll show you."

Carlos showed no resistance as Chelsey pulled him down the road, entering a forest. They headed deeper and deeper into it. Carlos wondered where they were going but didn't ask. Chelsey never made a sound, simply leading him deeper into the forest.

Trailing them a short distance behind was Lucar, struggling to keep up. _It's like the whole forest is trying to stop me,_ he thought. _I won't give up, though!_

Chelsey suddenly entered a large clearing and came to a stop. She let go of Carlos' paw. "Stay here," she said.

"Why?" Carlos asked, confused. _Are we there yet?_

"We're nearly there, but it seems someone is following us," the female Pikachu explained. "I'm taking you to a secret place. Not just anybody is allowed to see it. I'll just drive our stalker away, okay?"

"Okay," Carlos nodded.

Chelsey turned, plunging into the nearby bushes. And, like that, she was gone. Carlos sat down in the cool green grass and waited patiently for Chelsey to return.

_In the surrounding bushes…_

Lucar panted for breath, resting a paw against a tree. His fur was fluffed up and messy from brambles and branches catching him, sharp thorns scratching his skin and tearing some fur out. His body ached and, as he looked ahead, he was relieved to see the two Pikachu stop in a clearing ahead. That relief turned into alertness when Chelsey, a.k.a. Jealousy, vanished into the bushes, leaving Carlos in the clearing.

_She knows I'm here,_ he realized.

He quickly hunted for her aura, sensors rising. He soon found it…behind him! The blind Riolu whipped around, sensing her standing in a small path only a few yards back. Lucar was reluctant to leave Carlos by himself, but his urge to keep the Pikachu safe gave him no other choice.

The Riolu turned and dashed toward the small path, frowning when Jealousy's aura suddenly went up a tree. Reaching the edge of the path, he suddenly became hesitant. This was a Ditto he was dealing with and not just any Ditto. This was one that could turn into any Pokemon simply by seeing a picture.

_What is she trying to pull?_ Lucar wondered. _She's leading me away from Carlos. Why? She must know it's me. What is she up to?_

Pulling together his courage, the blind Riolu stepped onto the path. He glared at the tree Jealousy was hiding in…only to realize she wasn't there anymore. A flash of brilliant blue aura shot past him, causing Lucar to jump to the side. Another flash sent him flying forward as it hit him in the back. The flash shot overhead.

_No way!_ Lucar thought, struggling to get onto his hands and knees. _She's moving so fast! I can barely sense where she's going!_

As he sat up, the flash suddenly slammed into his front. Lucar gasped as something sharp pierced his chest, drawing blood. He was thrown backward by the flash but his forepaws briefly brushed against something as he and the flash separated.

_Feathers,_ he realized. _She turned into a Flying-type…into a…_

The flash finally ceased to move as Lucar fell onto his back on the dirt path. The flash gained the form of a bird with a long neck and a thin, but sharp, beak. It was a Fearow. Jealousy had turned into a Fearow.

_I…should've…known,_ Lucar thought.

"Too bad for you, Lucar," the Fearow chuckled cruelly.

As it approached him, its form began to ripple and change. A pink blob quickly took its place. The Ditto smirked as she reached the Riolu's side.

"Still no match for me, eh? At least, you aren't when you're alone." Jealousy giggled.

"What do…you want…with us…?" Lucar coughed, his aura vision blackening as unconsciousness threatened to swallow him.

The Ditto assumed the form of Chelsey once more. She looked away. "It's nothing bad," she reassured. "Just something I was given that I can't handle. So I thought 'why not give it to an Exploration Team and have them take care of it for me'? When it came to Exploration Teams… Well, you know I'm not on good terms with a majority of them. But then you guys came to mind and I knew what to do."

"Why…Carlos…?" Lucar gasped, struggling to stay conscious.

"Because he's the leader and will just have to accept my…'gift' to him," Chelsey replied with a smile. "If he accepts it, then so will the rest of you. Plus, I get to cause a bit of friction between him and that Eevee…and now that Quilava, too." She giggled again. "Oh, how I love causing fights!"

"Don't you dare…hurt him," Lucar growled weakly.

"Don't worry, Lucar. I won't," Chelsey replied coolly.

Lucar couldn't fight it any longer. He passed out. Chelsey stood there for a moment before walking away.

_I'll come back for him after I'm done with Carlos,_ she decided.

_In the big clearing…_

_Where is she?_ Carlos wondered, looking at the surrounding trees and bushes. _She's been gone for so long. What if something bad happened to her?_

The bushes rustled and Carlos jumped, sparks leaping from his cheeks threateningly. The sparks vanished when Chelsey stepped out from the bushes. Carlos relaxed instantly.

"You're okay," he said. "You took so long that I thought something bad had happened to you."

"Sorry," Chelsey apologized. "Our stalker was stronger than I thought."

"What was it?" Carlos asked.

"Just a wild Pokemon," Chelsey replied. She grabbed his paw again. "Now that we're alone, let's go!"

They took off again, going deeper and deeper into the forest. The moon shone high above them now, lighting a path for them through the dark woods. Chelsey didn't say anything. Carlos didn't question where he was being taken. They simply went.

Chelsey came to a stop just in front of some long grass. It was taller than the two Pikachu, obscuring their view of what lay beyond it. Chelsey turned to look at Carlos with a smile.

"You can't tell anyone about this place, okay? I found it myself and I don't want just anyone coming here," Chelsey explained. "Promise?"

"Okay, I promise," Carlos said.

She pulled aside the grass. "Here we are," she giggled.

Carlos stepped through the gap in the long grass and gasped. Chelsey was soon beside him, a smile on her face. Both Pikachu stared at the scene before them.

In front of them was a large lake. It was crystal clear, enough that you could see the bottom throughout the whole lake. A thick stretch of green grass stood between its shore and the forest around it. At the center of the lake was a strange blue glow…

_Wait! Is that a…?_ Carlos squinted, trying to see past the water's surface to whatever was producing the glow.

Behind him, Chelsey's form began to ripple and change. "Do you like it? I knew you would."

"Chelsey, is that what I think it is?" Carlos asked, suddenly certain about the glow's origin.

"A Time Gear? Yep," Chelsey was gone, replaced by Jealousy. Jealousy began to change again, this time into a Vileplume. "I found it, but I don't care for it. Besides, that isn't what I brought you here for."

"What do yo—" Carlos began to turn.

The Pikachu froze, blinking as white powder seemed to fall from the sky. He raised a paw, catching some and sniffing it. His eyes suddenly began to get heavy. His whole body suddenly felt tired.

As he fell to the ground, something round and hard was set beside him. He faintly registered a glow coming from nearby before Chelsey's feet appeared in his quickly-fading line of sight. A paw stroked his cheek.

"Take good care of it, Carlos. I'm counting on you as leader of Team Legend," Chelsey said softly.

_/That object that Jealousy gave to Carlos would sure cause a lot of issues in the coming few days. How so? You'll soon see…/_

Carlos' world faded into darkness as Chelsey began to walk away. The glow returned. Carlos fell unconscious just as he heard heavy footsteps approach him…

_Treasure Town…_

Everything in Treasure Town was completely silent. It was late at night, so everyone was in bed. That left the streets empty, allowing a dark figure to quickly race through them. It was Grovyle.

The Grass-type criminal came to a stop outside of Sheriff Magnezone's Police Station. Panting for breath, he slowly entered the building and carefully rested the unconscious Uxie on the floor. Checking to make sure he hadn't been spotted yet, he backed out of the police station.

"There," he sighed. "Now to find the other two…"

As Grovyle began to leave the station, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. He stepped on it and then stopped, shaking his foot to try and throw it off. He eventually pulled it off by hand, preparing to throw it aside.

Then he saw a name on it. He flattened it out and scanned it. There was a Pikachu on it, along with a message.

THIS IS CARLOS. HE HAS AMNESIA. DO YOU KNOW THIS POKEMON?

Grovyle frowned, not bothering to read the rest of the message. _It's just a Pikachu,_ he thought. _And here I thought I'd finally found you, Carlos. That's what I get for getting my hopes up like that._

He tossed the paper aside and dashed away, leaving Treasure Town far behind him. He had Time Gears to find. He had to find them soon. Time was running out…


	58. Chapter 57: Egg Dilemma

Chapter 57: Egg Dilemma

"Carlos! Wake up!"

"Carlos? Are you okay?"

"He doesn't _look_ hurt."

"Then what's wrong with him?!"

"Maybe he's tired…?"

"Shhh! He's coming around."

"Carlos? Say something! Hey!"

"Sunburst, quiet!"

"Make me! Who knows what happened to him?!"

"Huh? Wha…?" Carlos groaned, blinking as he woke up.

The Pikachu's vision slowly came into focus, showing the faces of his teammates above him. Sandra and Sunburst were the closest to him. Lucar seemed to be missing.

"Where…?" A yawn cut the Pikachu's sentence off.

"You're back in our room, Carlos," Luv replied. "You're back at Wigglytuff's Guild."

"Huh? How…?" Another yawn cut Carlos off.

"Dusk said he found you unconscious in the street," Joy explained. "He brought you both back."

"Both?" Carlos repeated.

"Lucar was with you. He was unconscious too, though," Zuzu answered. "What happened to you guys? Lucar was all beaten up and you had a… Well, a…"

"A what?" Carlos asked, suddenly alert. "What happened to Lucar? Where is he? And where's Chelsey? She was with me when…!"

Memories suddenly hit the Electric-type like a brick wall. The talk with Lucar, Sandra having a crush on him, Chelsey leading him to a lake in the forest, the Time Gear, him falling unconscious…

"Lucar's right here," Blackie said softly, snapping the other Pikachu back to attention. "He's still unconscious, so try not to be too loud. Joy says he needs more sleep."

Lucar was lying on his bed, unconscious. His wounds were covered in bandages. The Riolu's breathing was steady, if a bit raspy.

"It looks like a Flying-type got him," Joy added. "Only Flying-types can cause this much damage to a Fighting-type."

"And Chelsey?" Carlos asked. "Where is she?"

"Sandra and I looked around town this morning," Sunburst replied. "We didn't see her anywhere. She must've run off."

"Oh…" Carlos lowered his head sadly.

That's when he noticed something. "Joy, why is there an egg in your bed?" he asked, horribly confused. "Did you guys go on missions without me?"

"No," Sandra shook her head.

"The egg was with _you_, Carlos," Joy explained awkwardly. "Dusk said it was by your side when he found you and Lucar in the street."

"It was…with _me_…?" Carlos squeaked. _Wait a sec! Chelsey put something beside me just before I fell unconscious. Could that egg be it?_

"Carlos is a daddy!" Michael cried, waving his paws excitedly.

Everyone fell into a shocked silence except for the cheerful Minun, who hopped over to the blue and white egg. He rubbed the shell gently, a big smile on his childish face. Then he looked at Joy.

"Does this mean I get a baby brother? Or sister?" Michael asked.

"Uh… Maybe…?" Joy answered, suddenly very nervous.

_/Leave it to Michael not to notice a tense situation. While we were in shock over the revelation that Carlos might be a father, Michael was too busy wondering if he was getting a baby sibling. Michael would definitely be getting a baby sibling, but did that mean Carlos would be having a kid?/_

"No way!" Sunburst shouted, jumping to her paws. "There's no way that stupid girl had a kid with you!"

"Huh? Wait a sec!" Carlos yelped. "I didn't do anything with Chelsey, I swear!"

"Then what happened?!" the Quilava demanded. "You go out with her for a night and then you come back, _unconscious_ might I add, with an _egg_! What am I _supposed_ to think?!"

"Sunburst, that's quite enough!" Joy snapped. "It's not Carlos' fault he has to be a young father. As his friends, we must be ready to help him raise the child."

"Wait! You're blowing this way out of proportion, guys!" Carlos cried. "I'm not a dad!"

"Then why do you have an egg that smells like you and somebody else?" Luv asked curiously.

"Carlos, are you sure you didn't know her? You lost your memories, after all." Sandra reminded. "Maybe you and she were…married before." The Eevee blushed heavily upon saying those last few words.

"Huh? No way!" Carlos yelped.

"Admit it, Carlos, it's plausible," Joy pointed out. "You have amnesia, after all. Maybe you just didn't recognize her."

The Pikachu lowered his head, trying to think. _Could that be what she meant?_ Carlos wondered, remembering the argument from the previous night.

"_Why are you being so mean?" Chelsey asked innocently. Then she frowned. "It's that Quilava, isn't it? I told you I was sorry."_

"_I know," Carlos muttered._

"_She attacked me first! Don't I have the right to defend myself?" the female Pikachu demanded._

"_Of course! But—" Carlos was suddenly interrupted by a quiet revelation._

"_You like her," Chelsey said softly._

"_Who?" Carlos asked, suddenly afraid._

"_The Quilava, the Eevee, whoever!" She glared at Carlos. "You like them! Them and not me!"_

"_I don—"_

"_What do they have that I don't, Carlos?!" Chelsey shouted. "Tell me! Tell me so I can be like that!"_

Carlos sighed, ears drooping. "Maybe…" he reluctantly admitted. "But why didn't she just say so right away?"

"Maybe she didn't realize you had amnesia," Blackie suggested.

Carlos shrugged. "This is too confusing," he muttered.

"Agreed," Sunburst nodded, frowning. "I say we hunt Chelsey down and get some answers out of her!"

"Yeah!" Sandra nodded. _Could Carlos and Chelsey really be married? Oh, I hope not! She wasn't a very nice person, not at all! Was Carlos like that before he lost his memories? Oh, please no…_

"We don't have time for that!" Joy cut in, silencing her teammates.

"Why not?!" Sunburst demanded, glaring at the Raichu.

"_Because_, Sunburst," Joy growled, glaring right back at the Quilava. "This egg looks ready to hatch any day now! We can't simply abandon it to hunt down this Chelsey person! We must be here to care for it!"

Sunburst yelped, falling flat on her behind in shock from the intensity of Joy's glare. The rest of Team Legend seemed just as shocked.

_I've never seen Joy so angry before,_ Carlos thought, shivering in fear. _I'd hate to be Thrax when she gets her paws on him!_

"Joy's right," Sandra admitted. "Besides, we don't even know where Chelsey is. She could be long gone by now."

"Plus, we still have a job to do!" Luv added.

"We can't stop doing missions," Zuzu agreed. "That wouldn't be right. We're an Exploration Team. It's our job to help others."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "If we come across Chelsey again, then we'll get our answers. Until then, we have to continue with our jobs."

"Are you well enough to get up?" Sunburst asked, concerned.

"I think so…" Carlos struggled to stand, yawning. "Man, am I tired or what?"

"Definitely," Blackie nodded.

"Have any missions been done today?" Carlos asked.

"Not yet," Sandra replied. "It's still daylight out. We still have time."

"Then let's go," Carlos said, shaking the sleepiness off and grabbing the Treasure Bag. "We don't have time to sit around. We've got Pokemon to help!"

"YEAH!" Team Legend, minus Lucar, cried.

"I'll stay and watch the egg," Joy volunteered. "I'll take care of Lucar, too."

"Can I go? I wanna go!" Michael whined, tugging on Carlos' tail. "Please, please, _please_?!"

"Sorry, Michael," Carlos apologized, patting the Minun's head. "You're still too young. Soon, though, I promise."

"Awww! Okay…" The Minun climbed back into Joy's bed, rubbing the egg lightly. He looked back at Carlos, eyes shining with hope. "Promise?"

"Promise," Carlos vowed.

"We have 515 points already," Luv commented. "Only…1085 points left to go until we're Gold Rank!"

"We're climbing the ranks crazy fast!" Zuzu laughed. "We'll be the best in no time at this rate!"

_/We were definitely climbing the ranks pretty fast for an Exploration Team made up of a bunch of kids and a single adult. There were teams that had climbed the ranks faster than us, however. Team Moonlight and Team Raptors, for example. They made it to their current positions in record times! Then again, they both had an advantage over other Exploration Teams…/_

"Let's go!" Carlos ordered.

Carlos, Sandra, Luv, and Zuzu left their room, heading upstairs to check the mission boards. Carlos ended up selecting three missions to Mt. Horn. Two were rescue missions and one was an item request mission.

The four of them left the Guild and headed down the steps to prepare in Treasure Town. Once they reached the foot of the stairs, Carlos froze. Standing only a few feet away, surrounded by Magnemite, was Dusk. Joy's words hit him.

"_Dusk said he found you unconscious in the street," Joy explained. "He brought you both back."_

Then the Pikachu remembered what else Joy had said.

"_The egg was with _you_, Carlos," Joy explained awkwardly. "Dusk said it was by your side when he found you and Lucar in the street."_

Carlos sighed, slowly approaching. Sandra, Luv, and Zuzu stayed behind, unsure of what to do. The Magnemite greeted Carlos before returning to their duty of watching Dusk. The Banette grumbled angrily under his breath before noticing Carlos. He looked surprised.

"Shouldn't you be resting after…whatever happened to you?" Dusk asked curiously.

"I'm fine," Carlos replied. "Thanks for helping Lucar and I. I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it? I'm busy, see?" Dusk indicated the ground in front of him, where a small pile of trash and debris was.

"Was there anyone else with us last night?" Carlos asked. "Anyone who might've left that egg behind? Maybe another Pikachu?"

"Another Pikachu…" Dusk frowned, staring at the ground as memories of the previous night returned to him.

_Dusk sighed, wandering through the streets of Treasure Town. It was late, long past bedtime for many of the residents. He was allowed to wander free during these hours, the Magnemite guarding the ways out of the town to ensure he didn't try to escape his punishment._

_Not that he would, of course. He was a man of his word…at the moment, at least. He had willingly accepted his punishment and he intended to carry it out until he was freed._

_The Ghost-type froze, hearing an odd sound. It was footsteps. Someone was coming. He was quick to leap into the nearest tree, peering out between the leaves to view the stranger._

_It was no stranger, though. Dusk recognized this Pokemon all-too-well. He frowned, zipper mouth scrunching together in a mix of hatred and confusion._

What's _she_ doing here?!_ Dusk thought, shocked._

_Walking down the path was a Machamp, though Dusk easily recognized it for who it truly was—Jealousy. One arm held what appeared to be an egg, another arm held an unconscious and wounded Riolu, and a third arm carried an unconscious Pikachu. Dusk squinted before gasping. He knew that Riolu and Pikachu!_

It's Carlos and Lucar! _Dusk realized._ What is Jealousy doing with them?!

_Jealousy headed toward the stairs leading up to Wigglytuff's Guild. Before she could set foot on the first step, pain exploded from her unoccupied arm. Her Machamp form bit back a cry, stumbling back a step before whipping around to face her opponent. She was just as shocked to see him as he had been to see her._

"_So, the rumors _are_ true," Jealousy giggled, her initial shock fading into calmness. "You did confess. You gave up being a criminal."_

"_I didn't give up being a criminal," Dusk corrected, pulling his needle from his arm. "I'm paying for the crime I committed in the past."_

"_Oh, really? That's strange since you've committed tons of crimes," Jealousy reminded. "Unless, of course, you mean _that _crime."_

"_Yes, _that_ crime!" Dusk growled. "What are you doing with Carlos and Lucar, anyway?"_

"_Oh, just a little side job before I head back to major crime," Jealousy replied with a smirk. "The Riolu followed when he wasn't supposed to."_

"_No surprise," Dusk grumbled. "What's with the egg?"_

"_My side job," Jealousy answered._

"_Don't tell me it's yours!" Dusk yelped, disgusted._

"_Sorry, but no," Jealousy giggled, unoccupied hand lifting to cover her lips. "I just found it under a bush a while back. I'm not the type to play Mommy, let alone raise a kid, so I decided to hand it off to Team Legend. I had some fun with them first, of course!"_

"_Do I dare ask what kind of 'fun' it was?" the Banette questioned warily._

"_Just causing a bit of _jealousy_!" Jealousy laughed. "Hey, why don't you be a dear and take these guys to Wigglytuff's Guild for me? I'd rather split before they wake up."_

"_Scared they'll come after you?" Dusk guessed, reluctantly taking the unconscious Carlos and Lucar from her._

"_Nah! I'd just rather get as much distance between myself and this place as possible," Jealousy replied. "I've been in hiding for long enough. Time to go on a crime spree!"_

"_Whatever," Dusk shrugged, taking the egg from her as well._

_Jealousy happily bounded off, turning into a Leafeon as she left Treasure Town far behind her. After a bit of struggling, Dusk began to trek up the stairs with his cargo of two unconscious Pokemon and an egg. It was a long climb…_

Dusk sighed, shaking his head as the memory ended. "Nope," he replied. "I didn't see another Pikachu anywhere. Sorry, Carlos,"

"Oh…" Carlos lowered his head sadly. "Thanks anyway, Dusk."

"No problem," the Banette replied. _It's not officially lying,_ he thought. _I didn't see a Pikachu, I saw a Machamp…which was really a Ditto. You can't fault me for that._

Dusk silently returned to cleaning up debris. Carlos, Sandra, Luv, and Zuzu headed into Treasure Town to deposit any unneeded items and money they were carrying. Then they headed for the crossroads in order to journey to Mt. Horn.

Once there, they paused outside of the entrance. Carlos looked at Sandra. Sandra looked behind her and sighed.

"What's wrong, guys?" Luv asked.

"It's our first mission without Lucar," Sandra admitted. "The three of us are always together on missions. It's just…weird without him."

"We can't really blame you," Zuzu said. "You three created Team Legend together. It's no surprise that it'd feel weird if one of you were missing."

_/That's right. Ever since Team Legend was formed, we were always together. Carlos, Lucar, and I. The only other time one of us was missing aside from now and when Dusk kidnapped me was when Jealousy took Carlos' place, sending him to jail while she tried to steal the Guild's treasure. The three of us are the team leaders. We're used to being together during anything and everything that happens to us. It's weird if we're not together. It feels…unnatural somehow./_

"Did it feel like this when Dusk kidnapped me, Carlos?" Sandra suddenly asked, looking at the Pikachu.

"Of course, especially after we learned about his crimes!" Carlos replied. "I actually thought we might never see you again."

"Really?" Sandra began to blush. _He was that worried about me?_

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. _She's blushing again. Does she really have a crush on me?_ Carlos wasn't aware of the light blush beginning to creep across his own cheeks.

"Hey, are we going to go save some Pokemon or what?" Zuzu asked, shattering the moment.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Carlos nodded, snapping back to attention.

"Let's get going then!" Luv cried.

"Right!" Sandra nodded, her blush fading into nothing.

The four Pokemon trooped into Mt. Horn together. Carlos and Sandra avoided eye contact with one another on the way in. Sandra caught sight of the water puddles and bit back a whimper, hydrophobia returning full-force.

On the first floor, they ended up in a room with a Natu. Carlos electrocuted it with Thunderbolt, easily defeating it. After going through a long hall, they found the stairs in an empty room. They ran up them the moment a Venomoth entered the room.

On the second floor, Carlos picked up 10 Geo Pebbles, separated into two piles of five, and a TM for Dragon Claw. They were in the room with the stairs, so they climbed up the stairs to the next floor.

On the third floor, they were immediately attacked by an Ariados and a Shroomish. A Cascoon was asleep off to the side. Luv started pecking away at the Shroomish while Zuzu unleashed Wing Attack upon it, the combined forces of their attacks knocking it out. Sandra cried out as the Ariados hit her with Poison Sting. Carlos' Thunderbolt defeated it in one hit, clearing the way for them to continue onward. The wayward Magby was in the next room.

"Finally! I thought I'd never be found!" he cried.

"Mission 1 completed!" Sandra announced, teleporting Magby out of the mystery dungeon with their team badge.

They ignored the Cascoon located nearby and headed to the next room, where the stairs were located. Picking up 4 Iron Thorns and a Purple Gummi on the way, they headed upstairs to continue their trek.

On the fourth floor, Carlos picked up 4 Geo Pebbles before heading down a hallway. Discovering it to be a dead end, they turned around in order to find an alternate exit from the room. A Natu ended up blocking their way out of the corridor, resulting in Carlos electrocuting it. Picking up the Reviver Seed it had dropped, they left the room and headed down another hall. A Natu and an Ariados jumped them, only to be defeated by Luv's Peck and Sandra's Shadow Ball. Carlos picked up the Hard Box that the Natu had dropped and continued down the corridor. The stairs were in the next room, prompting the four Pokemon to head up them before they could be ambushed again.

On the fifth floor, they headed through a few empty halls and rooms before being attacked by a Natu. Carlos' Quick Attack knocked it out before it could hurt anyone, though. Heading down another corridor, a pair of Parasect ambushed them. Sandra's Quick Attack defeated the first one with no trouble. The second one paralyzed her with Stun Spore in vengeance, only to be knocked out by Zuzu's Wing Attack. The paralysis wore off moments later, allowing them to continue. Carlos picked up 4 Iron Thorns in the next room. The room after that contained the stairs, letting them head to the next floor.

On the sixth floor, the four Exploration Team members found themselves in a room with two Shroomish and the stairs. Quickly picked up 215 poke, Carlos was almost immediately poisoned afterward by one of the Grass-types. Luv and Zuzu easily defeated them with a Wing Attack and Peck combo, allowing them to race up the stairs.

On the seventh floor, they passed through an empty room and an empty hall before finding the room with the stairs. Picking up 5 Iron Thorns in a corner of the room, they headed up the stairs once more.

On the eighth floor, a Venomoth ambushed them in a hall. Carlos' Thunderbolt knocked it out instantly. They stealthily dodged around another Venomoth but ended up encountering a Beautifly instead. Sandra defeated it with Quick Attack. Entering a room at long last, they were attacked by a Venomoth and an Aerodactyl. Luv was poisoned by the Venomoth's Poison Powder and got revenge by defeating it with Peck. Sandra and Carlos both used Quick Attack to distract the Aerodactyl, allowing Luv to finish it off with Bubblebeam. Carlos picked up the Heal Seed it had dropped and used it to heal Luv's poisoning.

As they moved the exit the room, a Beautifly snuck up behind them. Zuzu whipped around to attack it, only to be knocked back by its wings. The shiny Zubat ended up crashing into Sandra and Luv, who fell into a large water puddle nearby. They were teleported elsewhere on the floor instantly.

"Sandra! Luv!" Carlos cried.

"Carlos, look out!" Zuzu cried, spotting what the Beautifly was carrying in its hands.

The Pikachu turned, only to be hit by the Sleep Seed that the Bug/Flying-type had just tossed. His eyes instantly grew heavy, causing him to crash to the ground. He was out like a light.

Zuzu defeated the Beautifly with Bite and instantly flew to Carlos' side. "Carlos! Hey, wake up!" She cried, shaking him. "We have to find Sandra and Luv! Carlos, wake up! Hey!"

Her cries went unanswered. Carlos was too deeply asleep to be woken quite yet. Zuzu could only stay by his side and wait, warding off enemies. She prayed for Luv and Sandra's safety.


	59. Chapter 58: Conquering Fears

Here it is! After a two or so year long hiatus, I have finally finished this chapter! Go on my DA page (link in my profile) and read my most recent journal to see what finally kicked my butt into gear and forced me to finish this chapter!

Feel free to kick my butt in vengeance for testing your patience this long… At least you were rewarded. I just pray I can return to updating this regularly. Sorry for the delay, everyone. Hopefully, I'm back on track with this for good.

…Watch me lose inspiration after the next 50 or so chapters…

Chapter 58: Conquering Fears

The first thing Sandra thought was that she couldn't breathe. She was cold, extremely cold. Her paws wouldn't move like she commanded. Her vision was blurry, as if she were…

_I'm underwater!_ she realized in a panic. _Help! Carlos, Luv, Zuzu! Somebody, help! Please!_

Something grabbed her paw, instantly causing the terrified Eevee to thrash. Her captor refused to let go, tightening their grip on her paw. Sandra felt a tugging sensation. Her so-called _captor_ was trying to _help_ her!

She broke the surface of the pool of water, gasping for breath and coughing up the water in her lungs. She clawed her way to shore and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Her rescuer splashed ashore alongside her, gasping as well. Once Sandra recovered her strength, she turned her head toward her savior.

It was Luv. The Piplup looked tired but managed to muster up a smile. "You okay, Sandra?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded. "Thanks, Luv."

"No problem," The Piplup flopped to the ground beside her. "We must've been teleported elsewhere on the floor."

"Oh," Sandra was too tired to care.

"Carlos and Zuzu are gone," Luv noted, struggling to sit up. "We've been separated."

"I guess so," Sandra coughed, slowly rising. "Now what?"

"We find our way back to the stairs, I guess," Luv replied. "What happened just then?"

"Huh?" The Eevee shook herself off. "Just _when_?"

"In the water just now," the Piplup explained. "You weren't swimming."

"I…I can't," Sandra reluctantly admitted, looking away in shame. "I can't swim. I'm too scared."

"It's not that hard," Luv commented.

"Says the Water-type," Sandra grumbled, shivering from the cold.

"Why can't you swim?" Luv dared to ask.

"Well…" Sandra sighed, gathering her courage. "When I was still little, my siblings and I would play by the bank of this stream by our home. I used to splash around in the shallows. One day, we saw this tree that had fallen on the stream. We thought it'd be fun to cross it, so we started walking across it one-by-one. One of my brothers got spooked by a Pidgey and ran back across, causing all of us to run the other way. I tripped on the bark and fell off the tree. The water was really deep there. I couldn't swim. I nearly drowned."

"Didn't anyone try to help you?" Luv asked, concerned.

"Once all of my siblings had run across and my parents came out to check on us, they realized I was gone. My big sister, Lune, dove in after me." Sandra replied. "I was half-drowned by then. I never played in that stream again. I've been deathly afraid of water ever since."

"That's horrible!" the Piplup cried. "To tell you the truth, I'm really scared of the dark. That's why I stay close to Zuzu if we go into dark places."

"The dark isn't all that scary," Sandra admitted. "Sure, I was scared of it when I was little…but Lune always told me that darkness can't exist without light. If there's darkness, light is surely nearby. You just have to keep looking until you find it."

"Really?" Luv asked in awe. "You know, I could probably teach you how to swim if you'd help me not be scared of the dark."

"Would you?" Sandra smiled. "I…I don't want to be scared of water. I…I want to be brave, like Carlos!"

Luv laughed. "Silly! You're already brave!"

"Huh? Am I? I don't think I am… At least, I'm not _that_ brave," Sandra muttered, embarrassed.

"Says the Eevee that fought against Thrax's goons multiple times and goes on dangerous missions daily," Luv reminded.

"Um…" Sandra looked away, blushing. "Thanks…?"

_/I really wasn't sure how much I had changed since we first created Team Legend. Luv was right, though. I had definitely become braver. When I first started going on missions, I was too scared to fight criminals. Now I'm fighting them almost daily. Things had really changed since back then. And they would continue to change as time went on./_

"So? Wanna try swimming?" Luv prompted.

"Huh?" Sandra yelped, surprised. "Right here? Right now? Luv, we're in a _mystery dungeon_! We'll be teleported all over the floor!"

"Then maybe we can find Carlos and Zuzu that way," Luv replied, undeterred by her friend's arguments. "Come on, Sandra! There's no better time to learn than the present."

"But I…" Sandra looked at the water, a shiver coursing down her spine. "I'm _scared_!"

"That's the point! We're gonna _conquer_ that fear! And mine too!" Luv exclaimed. "Look, I know the water _looks_ scary but it isn't! Honest!"

"But what if I drown?" Sandra whimpered, tearing up a little.

"You're not gonna drown! I won't let it happen, promise!" Luv vowed, resting her flippers on Sandra's shoulders. "Come on, Sandra. Please?"

Sandra shivered, uncertain of her options. She looked from the pool of water not far from them…then to Luv's pleading gaze…then back to the pool…then back to Luv…

"…Not much of a choice," the Eevee muttered.

"Huh?" Luv, having not heard what her leader had said, was confused. "Yes or no?"

"…Ugh! Why not?" Sandra said, her voice strained with unadulterated fear. "Let's just…get this over with, okay?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, YES!" the Piplup cried, jumping about the room happily. "We're not gonna be scared anymore! We're not gonna be scared anymore! We're not gonna be—"

"Luv, be quiet! You're going to draw an enemy to us with all that shouting!" Sandra yelped.

"Oh! Oops…" Luv settled down quickly, scampering back over to the Eevee once she was sure no wild Pokemon were going to sneak up on them. "Sorry…"

"At least nothing came. This corner of the floor must be deserted," Sandra commented, ears lowering slightly. "I doubt Carlos and Zuzu got so lucky then."

"I'm sure they're fine. They're both really strong! They can handle themselves. And so can we, if we had to!" Luv declared, smirking. "So, about swimming…?"

Sandra sighed, surrendering. "How do I start? Learning to swim?" she asked, unenthused to the max.

"Sweet!" Luv cried, quickly lowering her voice upon realizing how loud she had been. "Sorry! To the water, we go!"

"Oh, no…" Sandra groaned, ears dropping instantly.

The Piplup dashed back to the water's edge and promptly splashed in. Drifting back to the shore on her belly, she smiled at Sandra over her shoulder. The Eevee hesitantly perched on the water's edge, jumping when tiny waves from Luv's splash touched her paws.

"Jump on!" Luv insisted.

"Jump? On you? Why?" Sandra yelped, confused and scared.

"Just trust me! It'll make everything easier on you," Luv explained. "Just think of me as a…living log!"

"That's scary!" Sandra whined, backing up.

"Okay, bad example," the Piplup admitted, frowning. "But still, just jump on my back! I can support your weight, trust me!"

"But I—"

"Sandra, just do it!" Luv barked with a strangely large amount of authority.

The Eevee froze before reluctantly jumping, claws digging into the cape on the penguin-like Pokemon's back to keep her grip. Luv didn't seem to mind, using her feet to gently kick off the shore and drift out. The pool wasn't very big, only a few feet across between the dungeon floor and the wall of the room. It was still enough to get Sandra quaking with terror.

"Sandra, relax," Luv said gently, all authority from before having disappeared. "I can't swim straight if you're shaking. Like the saying goes, 'don't rock the boat'. Only, I mean it literally…'cause you're rocking me. Don't want to fall in, right?"

"Luv, forget I said anything. Take me back. I'm scared!" Sandra pleaded.

"Look, Sandra, I know you're scared. But you don't want to be scared anymore, right? You want to be brave, like Carlos. Right?" Luv asked.

"…Yeah," Sandra nodded.

"Then you need to do this. It's not that scary, I promise," Luv said, smiling softly. "I'm gonna stop moving now, okay? You gotta stick your paws in the water and paddle—move your paws back and forth to pull yourself along."

"Paddle? I don't know," Sandra whimpered, fur puffing up in fear.

"Sandra, you're not even_ in_ the water yet," Luv jokingly pointed out. "Trust me, you'll _definitely_ need to know how to paddle when you get in the water. I'm right here. I won't let you fall in unless you want to, okay?"

After a moment, the Eevee straightened from her crouched position on Luv's back. "…Okay. I can do this," she said, glaring at the water. "I won't be afraid anymore."

_/I know what you're thinking. "There's no way to not be afraid anymore. You'll always be afraid of something." You're right. I'm still afraid of things, even now. Water just isn't on that list anymore. I have Luv to thank for that…and Carlos, for being my motivating factor. He was why I did it. I'll never be able to repay him entirely…especially since he's gone now…/_

With the most amount of focused bravery Luv had ever seen on Sandra's face, the Eevee shoved her forepaws underwater and wiggled them. She was stirring up a tiny amount of water, but nothing strong enough to get the drifting Piplup moving anywhere fast. Luv would've laughed had she not been afraid of breaking her co-leader's concentration.

Almost as if realizing her tiny strokes were doing nothing, Sandra's paws moved in bigger strokes. Then her paws began to move a bit faster, almost resembling a proper dog paddle. Luv was amazed…until Sandra nearly tipped over into the water.

Luv quickly tipped the other way, rebalancing them. Sandra pulled her paws free, shocked, amazed, and terrified by what she had done. The Piplup burst out laughing.

"You almost had it! That was incredible!" she declared.

"Incredible? I didn't…" Sandra blushed, embarrassed. "I was just stirring the water around. I barely even realized I was doing it."

"Well, you were paddling. Pretty well, might I add," Luv chuckled, smiling. "I think you've got it down. Wanna try it while _in_ the water?"

"That might be too… No! Let's do it!" Sandra barked with a shake of her head.

"Really?" Luv asked, surprised. "Because I was kidding."

"Well, I'm not. I've stuck my paws in the water. Might as well jump in before the fear comes back," Sandra said firmly, glaring as the waves she had made with her paddling. "I don't want to be scared…"

"…Okay," Luv gave in. "But only if you want to. Feel free to jump back on my back if you get overwhelmed."

"Got it," Sandra nodded, crouching low and tucking her legs in close to her body. "Here goes nothing…"

The Eevee jumped, splashing into the water a good foot away from Luv. Luv dove down, ready to pull her leader back up if Sandra was unable to get to the surface. What the Piplup saw shocked and amazed her.

The Eevee had fallen a good foot under the surface, paws lashing out in a wild manner. After a moment, her paws suddenly took on the paddling motion. First her forepaws…then her back paws… Slowly but surely, Sandra seemed to be swimming…by herself…

_/It was scary at first. I was cold, wet, and I couldn't see much of anything. I barely had enough air to call it a proper breath. I panicked…at first. Then I thought of Carlos and what he'd do…and the fear went away./_

It took longer than Luv was comfortable with for Sandra to reach the surface. The Piplup rose with her, both gasping for breath when they burst out. Sandra instantly clawed at the surface, struggling not to sink. Luv was right there for her to hold onto, the Piplup wincing when she felt claws tearing into her waterproof feathers.

"You okay? I was scared for a sec, you know!" Luv commented.

"That was—" *gasp* "—really scary!" *wheeze* "But I…" *cough* *sputter* "I did it! I swam!" Sandra cried, amazed. "Luv, I swam!"

"Kind of… But yeah, you pretty much did," the Piplup agreed, smiling. "Not so scary, huh?"

After a moment of gasping for breath, the Eevee nodded. "Yeah. It was still scary but…thinking about Carlos made it all go away. I felt…brave! It was really, really cool!"

"Now you can say that you can swim…kind of," Luv admitted, giggling. She looked around. "Looks like we warped."

"Hey… I recognize this hall! The room where we were separated is up ahead!" Sandra cried.

"Sweet! Let's go get the others!" Luv urged, swimming toward shore with Sandra clinging to her back. "Hey, Sandra? Should we tell them or…?"

"…It's like you said, I can only _kind of_ swim. I want to tell Carlos when I can _definitely_ swim," Sandra said. "Do you think we can…practice again soon?"

"Well, the beach isn't far from Treasure Town. I think you and I can arrange a swim schedule," Luv giggled. "And don't you worry. My beak is sealed until then, Sandra."

"Thanks," Sandra smiled.

Upon reaching shore, the pair dashed down the hall until they reached a familiar room. Seated in that room was a flustered Zuzu and a sleepy Carlos, who had woken up only a few moments ago. Zuzu and Luv reunited with shrill cries of joy upon finding one another, hugging and laughing like madwomen.

Carlos smiled upon seeing Sandra. "Good to see you're okay, Sandra."

"Same," Sandra replied, smiling.

"You're wet. Did you fall in the water again?" the Pikachu asked, worried.

"Kind of," Sandra shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm okay. We've got missions to complete still, right? We better get back to that."

The Pikachu staggered to his feet, shaking off the drowsiness. He smirked at Sandra, nodding in agreement before calling Zuzu and Luv over. It was time to get back to their duties as Rescue Team members.

Entering the next room, Carlos picked up a TM for Reflect before dashing up the stairs.

On the ninth floor, they appeared in a room with a sleeping Cascoon and an Aerodactyl. Zuzu knocked the Cascoon out with Bite while Luv used Bubblebeam to defeat the Aerodactyl. Picking up a Stun Seed nearby, they headed down the hall to the next room. A Stantler, their second client, jumped for joy upon seeing them.

"Thank Arceus!" she cried. "You don't know _how long_ I've been stuck in here! I thought I'd never get out!"

"Glad to be of help!" Luv giggled. "Mission 2 completed!"

The Stantler was teleported away instantly. The four Team Legend members left the room and headed down a corridor to another room. In that room was the stairs, which they happily ran up.

On the tenth floor, Carlos picked up 172 poke before electrocuting a Pineco. The stairs were in the same room, along with a sleeping Bonsly. They ignored the Bonsly, heading up the stairs to the next floor.

On the eleventh floor, an Aerodactyl attacked immediately. Carlos' Quick Attack and Luv's Bubblebeam defeated it, allowing them to leave the room. Picking up a Power Band and a Max Elixir in the next room, they traveled through a few empty halls and rooms until they found the stairs. Picking up 256 poke and 4 Geo Pebbles, they went upstairs.

On the twelfth floor, Carlos electrocuted a Venomoth with Thunderbolt and defeated it instantly. It managed to poison Sandra before it was knocked out, however. An Aerodactyl jumped them on the way out of the room, resulting in Zuzu biting it and Luv hitting it with Bubblebeam. The next room contained the stairs, but they were being guarded by a Cascoon. Picking up 4 Iron Thorns and 68 poke, Zuzu's Wing Attack defeated the Cascoon in one hit.

"Hey! I found the Clear Gummi!" Zuzu called from behind the stairs, showing off the item. "Are we done?"

"Yep! That was the last job!" Carlos nodded.

"What a crazy day, huh?" Luv winked at Sandra.

"Yeah!" The Eevee winked back. _Our little secret,_ she mentally recited.

"Mission 3 complete!" Carlos cried.

The four teammates were engulfed in white light and instantly transported back to the Guild. After disentangling themselves from the pile they always ended up in, they faced their three clients. Magby and his worried friend, a Purugly, stepped forward first.

"Thank you so much for finding him!" the Purugly wailed, tears running down her cheeks as she hugged the Magby. "I keep telling him not to run off, but he never listens!"

"I got _lost_," the Magby grumbled. "_Everyone_ does…"

"It's not much, but here!" the feline sniffled, handing Carlos 100 poke.

"No problem. We're happy to have helped," the Pikachu said with a smile.

After Magby and Purugly left, Stantler stepped forward. "Thank you very much for saving me. I was beginning to think nobody was coming," she admitted.

"Somebody will always come," Carlos reassured. "It just takes time."

"Yeah," Stantler nodded. "Here, take this. Maybe your Piplup friend can use it."

Carlos accepted the TM he was given. A quick look-over confirmed it to be Brine. He stored it away in the Treasure Bag.

Once Stantler left, a Hippowdon spoke up. "Did you kids find my Clear Gummi?"

"Yep! Here it is!" Zuzu handed it over to him.

"Why, gosh! Thanks, dear!" the Hippowdon grinned. "Here, take this. Maybe you can make use of it, dear."

"Maybe," Zuzu giggled, accepting the TM he held out to her. "Oh! It's Aerial Ace!"

"Good job today, Team Legend!" Chatot congratulated. "That's 90 more points, totaling you to…605 points! Quite a lot so far!"

_Yet still so far to go,_ Sandra thought.

Once Hippowdon was gone and Team Legend's rewards were safely stored away, they headed back down to their room. Joy and Michael were dutifully watching over the egg. Lucar was finally awake, looking toward them the moment they entered the room.

"Are you okay, Carlos? I was following you and Chelsey, only it wasn't Chelsey," Lucar said right off the bat.

"Hold up! Chelsey wasn't Chelsey? Carlos followed a fake?" Sunburst interrupted.

"I think the correct explanation is that Chelsey never existed," Lucar corrected. "Chelsey was actually Jealousy in disguise."

"Jealousy?!" Sandra yelped. "You're kidding!"

"Who's that?" the Quilava asked, baffled.

"Jealousy is a Ditto and an infamous criminal," Carlos explained coldly. "She snuck her way onto our team once before and had Carlos sent to prison in her place. We eventually figured her out…but she escaped before Sheriff Magnezone could capture her."

"That means…" Sandra froze. _Jealousy…kissed Carlos!_

"What does that mean for the egg?" Joy asked, looking at it curiously.

"I doubt it's Carlos and Jealousy's. There'd be no way for it to happen," Lucar answered evasively. "It was probably a random egg that Jealousy came across. Though why she'd leave it with us…or assume such a form to do so… I don't know."

"So…it's _not_ Carlos'?" Sunburst deadpanned questioningly.

"It can't possibly be," the blind Riolu replied.

"Good! Because if it _was_, I'd wring that stupid Ditto's neck!" the ex-princess shrieked, arms waving about insanely.

Carlos sighed in relief, collapsing on his bed. "Thank Arceus that's over…"

"Sorry…for earlier," Joy said, embarrassed.

"It's okay. At least it's over," Carlos reassured, smiling tiredly. "Now we can finally relax…"

"HEY! TEAM LEGEND!"

The entire team yelped, paws clapped over their ears. Loudred poked his head through the room door. He didn't look too happy.

"You've got VISITORS!" he declared loudly. "They're up at the guild ENTRANCE!"

He left right after that. Once the team recovered, Carlos looked toward Lucar questioningly. Lucar looked up toward the ceiling, struggling to focus his aura vision to identify the visitors. He frowned after a moment.

"It's too far away. I can't tell who it is," the blind Riolu admitted.

"Then let's go find out," Carlos said, getting up. "Come on, Sandra, Lucar. Let's go see our visitors."


	60. Chapter 59: Hunt for the Water Float

Chapter 59: Hunt for the Water Float

Carlos had to admit that on the climb up to the Guild entrance, he had no idea who their visitors might be. He hoped it wasn't Jealousy disguised as Chelsey…or some other criminal…or Pyro from the K-9 Police Force… So many bad visitors…

Thankfully, it wasn't any of them.

"Azurill? Marill? You're our visitors?" Carlos asked, confused yet relieved.

"Yeah," Marill nodded. "Sorry for bothering you so late. You must've had a long day."

"It's normal for us," Sandra shrugged. "What did you need?"

"Like we said, we're sorry to bug you but…we didn't know what else to do," Azurill admitted, staring at the ground.

"What to do? About what?" Carlos asked.

"We need help finding our Water Float," Marill replied.

"Water Float? Didn't you say it was on the beach earlier?" Lucar asked. "Was it not there?"

"Oh, it was there…earlier," Marill said, frowning. "But someone took it. They left this in its place."

"We didn't know what to do! We were so close to getting it back!" Azurill whimpered, tears springing to his eyes.

"It's okay! Don't cry!" Sandra pleaded, hugging the teary-eyed mouse. "We'll do whatever we can to help, honest!"

"What did you find in its place? Let us see it," Carlos requested.

Marill held out a folded scrap of paper. Carlos took it and read it over. He froze up before growling.

"What is it? Read aloud," Lucar said, shaking the Pikachu's shoulder. "Blind Riolu here, remember? I can't read it!"

Carlos shakily read the message. "It says, 'To however owns this Water Float, it is now in our custody. If you want it back, come to the deepest part of Amp Plains. But it's likely you're too weak to reach us there. Chaw-haw-haw! If you're that desperate to get it back, might want to call for help to any big-shots that you know. Chaw-haw-haw!' That's all that it says."

"Is that a ransom note?!" Sandra yelped.

"Chaw-haw-haw? Funny, I swear I know that laugh from somewhere," Lucar muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

_/Yeah, it was definitely familiar. No surprise that we didn't remember, seeing as the last time we saw them was during the expedition to Foggy Forest. I had almost hoped we'd never see them again. Too bad luck didn't seem to be on our side…/_

"Please don't say you were going to go by yourselves!" Sandra cried.

"No, never! That place is full of Electric-types!" Marill whimpered. "Azurill and I would never be able to make it through there! I mean…I _did_ try going through by myself most of yesterday and today…but I couldn't get past the first few floors."

"That's why we came to you!" Azurill added. "You can get through Amp Plains, right? You can get my Water Float back! Oh, won't you? Please?"

"Of course! Whoever took it will pay big time!" Carlos declared, placing a paw on each of their shoulders. "I know how important that item is to you guys. You've been searching for it for a long time. Whoever would stand between you getting it back is going to find themselves in a whole mess of trouble when we find them!"

"Oh, really? Thank you! Thank you so much!" Azurill sobbed.

"I promise we'll find a way to repay you somehow! Honest!" Marill cried.

"Don't worry about it. Just seeing you get it back at long last will be reward enough," Lucar reassured, smiling. "But it's pretty late right now. We'll have to set out for Amp Plains tomorrow."

"Yeah," Sandra agreed.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Azurill sobbed uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, Azurill. We'll bring it back for you. I promise," Carlos said, hugging the Normal-type.

.o.o.o.o.

"Amp Plains? Oh, those poor dears!" Joy exclaimed.

"At least they didn't try going by themselves," Sunburst said, frowning. "That Marill was brave, I'll admit it, but going through a mystery dungeon that you _know_ you have no hope of defeating is just plain stupid!"

"Sunburst, you have _no idea_ how long they've been looking for that Water Float!" Sandra argued. "They've been searching for it since just after we made Team Legend. They almost had it back yesterday! Can you blame them for doing whatever they could to get it back?"

"At least they contacted us before things got any worse," Luv pointed out.

"Agreed! That was smart on their part!" Zuzu nodded. "Poor little guys…"

"Amp Plains is crawling with powerful Electric-type Pokemon," Joy explained, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Luv and Zuzu should stay behind. They'll be instant targets for those wild Pokemon. I would go but with Michael and this egg, I should stay behind to watch over them."

"That leaves me and Blackie as your only options," Sunburst summarized.

"Blackie's Dig will come in handy," Carlos admitted, looking at the black Pikachu. "You up for this?"

"I'm up for anything. Those kids deserve their Water Float back," Blackie nodded.

"So, it's the five of us?" Sandra guessed.

"Yep," Lucar nodded. "My Rock Slide will help, too. We'll still have to be careful. Paralysis will be our main problem."

"Then we'll just be extra careful and bring plenty of Cheri Berries with us," Sunburst declared.

"That's all we'll be able to do," Carlos said, sighing. "Well, I guess we have our mission for tomorrow. Let's get some dinner and rest up. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"How long until the egg hatches, Joy?" Sandra wondered, looking at the strange blue and white egg.

"Not long," the Raichu replied. "It'll probably hatch within the next few days. I'll watch over it until then. At least Michael will have a playmate…"

The Minun was giggling, running circles around the egg. Carlos smiled softly at the sight of the tiny Electric-type. _He's lucky to be so innocent…_

Chimecho's call for dinner ended the moment, causing the team to answer it with growling bellies and idle chatter. Carlos paused in the doorway, turning to look at the egg again. Joy had stayed behind to deal with the squirming Michael and care for the egg.

_Why did Chels—Jealousy leave that egg with me? And all those kisses and words? All of that…was just a lie to get me to take in an egg?_ Carlos wondered.

Lucar's words suddenly returned to him.

"_Sandra is in love with you!" Lucar shouted. "She's loved you since we first became Team Legend!"_

The Pikachu sighed, turning away. He slowly plodded after his teammates to dinner. _Who knew romance could be so complicated?_

_/I never realized it, but Carlos was having romantic issues of his own. Maybe if I had known about it, I could've helped a little. But I didn't, so I couldn't. And I thought I was having troubles…/_

.o.o.o.o.

"UP AND AT 'EM, ROOKIES! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"Ugh… Morning already?" Carlos groaned.

"I feel like I just fell asleep," Sandra complained.

As the team woke up and stretched, Lucar went over the events of last night. Once they were all woke up and planned for the trip to Amp Plains, Carlos, Lucar, Sandra, Sunburst, and Blackie headed to the main room to recite the cheers and head out for the day.

"THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Climbing up the ladder and out of the Guild, the team headed into Treasure Town to deposit any excess items and money. Bringing as many Cheri Berries as deemed necessary, they headed to the crossroads and along the path that would lead to Amp Plains.

They soon arrived at a rocky valley with little plant life around it. A large dead tree was beside the craggy entrance. There was a strange charged sensation in the air, like before a thunderstorm.

"This must be the entrance to Amp Plains," Carlos said, frowning. "_Definitely_ a ton of Electric-types here. You can practically feel it."

"Yeah," Sandra agreed. "My fur feels all full of static."

"Mine too," Sunburst nodded.

"Who do you think would do this? They had to be pretty tough and electric-resistant to make it through here," Lucar wondered. "And that 'chaw-haw-haw' thing written throughout that note… I _know_ it's familiar."

"The Water Float is on the furthest floor of this mystery dungeon, right?" Blackie asked.

"Yep," Carlos replied. "Let's get to it, team!"

"YEAH!" Sandra, Lucar, Sunburst, and Blackie cried.

The five Team Legend members entered the rocky valley. Sandra and Sunburst shook off the static that was making their fur rise. Blackie kept close to Carlos, sparks leaping from his cheeks from anxiety. Lucar took up the rear of the group, ready to defend his teammates from sneak attacks.

On the first floor, Carlos picked up a Power Band and 90 poke before heading through a nearby hallway. A Mareep ambushed them at the entrance to the next room, along with a pair of Plusle. Lucar's Rock Slide easily defeated the Mareep, leaving the Plusle to fall under a combination of Blackie's Dig, Sandra's Shadow Ball, and Sunburst's Flamethrower. The next room had the stairs, allowing the team to race up them.

On the second floor, they passed through two empty rooms before finding the stairs and running up them. No wild Pokemon were sighted, thankfully.

On the third floor, Carlos grabbed 43 poke and an Insomniscope before moving onward. They passed through two empty rooms before being jumped by a pair of feisty Elekid. Carlos and Blackie managed to take down the first one with Dig and Quick Attack, leaving the second one to suffer a buffet of flames and rocks via Sunburst and Lucar. Carlos picked up the 59 poke that the second Elekid dropped before heading to the next room. Grabbing a Drought Orb, Carlos started to head toward the stairs when the ground clicked beneath his feet.

"What the…?" the Pikachu yelped as the ground changed to a strange yellow and gray tile.

"It's a trap!" Sunburst cried.

The tile unleashed a strange smell before disappearing entirely. Carlos jumped away from the now-empty tile, only to twist around when Sandra screamed. Two Mareep and an Elekid appeared in a burst of blue light, similar to the light unleashed when one was teleported upon falling into water within a mystery dungeon.

"What happened?!" Carlos yelped.

"That stuff it sprayed was a Pokemon-attracting scent! It teleports nearby Pokemon to your location immediately!" Sunburst explained quickly.

"You can find Trap Tiles in mystery dungeons like these," Lucar added, stepping back. "Head for the stairs!"

_/Did I mention that I hate Trap Tiles? They make dungeon-crawling even harder than it already is. You never know what they'll do until you step on them. Mystery dungeons would be better places without them./_

Sandra rammed into the nearest Mareep, only to cry out as her muscles locked up. She was paralyzed. The Elekid took its chance to hit her with Thundershock, only to be hit with Flamethrower by an angry Sunburst. Carlos and Blackie dove for the stairs, racing up them in seconds.

On the fourth floor, the five teammates were reunited and Sandra's paralysis was cured by the floor change. An Elekid was quick to assault them, only to be knocked out by being buried beneath a ton of rocks thanks to Lucar. It managed to paralyze Sunburst before it went down, though. After a few moments, the paralysis faded away. A Minun attacked them on their way out of the room and was hit with a Shadow Ball to the face and a Force Palm to the gut before it fell, defeated. Carlos grabbed 101 poke in the next room before passing through a bunch of empty rooms and corridors. They dashed up the stairs upon finding them, fleeing from an oncoming Mareep.

On the fifth floor, they ended up in the room with the stairs. Grabbing 73 poke lying nearby, Blackie's Dig managed to knock out an attacking Elekid before it got too close to the group. They ran up the stairs immediately.

On the sixth floor, they were chased through a corridor by a Mareep that was quickly defeated by Lucar's Force Palm and Blackie's Focus Punch. They encountered a hostile Girafarig in the next room that was subsequently defeated by twin Thunderbolts from Carlos and Blackie. They passed through a few empty rooms and corridors before finding the stairs.

"All this emptiness is kinda freaking me out. Didn't Joy say this place was _crawling_ with Electric-types?" Sandra commented nervously.

"Don't tempt Arceus," Sunburst hissed warningly.

"No, Sandra's right! It's _far_ too empty in here," Lucar said firmly, looking around with his aura vision. "I'm sensing a lot of fear in the air. Something's wrong…"

"We'll deal with it when we reach…wherever it's coming from. For now, let's be glad for the emptiness," Carlos replied. "The sooner we get that Water Float, the sooner we can return it to Azurill and Marill."

"Yeah," Blackie nodded in agreement.

_/Lucar was right. All that emptiness was a warning of things to come—bad things. Things we shouldn't be getting involved in. But we had to get Azurill's Water Float back. Failure wasn't an option. If only we'd known what we were getting into…/_

On the seventh floor, they were instantly attacked by a Mareep. Lucar's Force Palm and Carlos' Quick Attack defeated it with ease. Grabbing 54 poke in the next room and 73 in the one next door, they continued on through a few empty corridors. A Mareep jumped them in a nearby hall, only to be taken by surprise due to Blackie's Dig. The next room contained the stairs and a Yellow Gummi, which Carlos quickly grabbed. Sunburst's Flamethrower took out a Mareep set to ambush them at the mouth of a room exit. The five teammates raced up the stairs to avoid a second Mareep.

On the eighth floor, an Elekid and a Flaaffy ambushed them right away. Sandra, Lucar, and Blackie teamed up against the Elekid, taking it down with ease. The Flaaffy managed to paralyze Carlos before falling to Sunburst's Flamethrower. Once the battle ended, Carlos headed for the stairs placed across the room from them.

On the ninth floor, an attacking Flaaffy was taken down by Blackie's Dig before it could hurt anyone. After passing through an empty room and a seemingly-endless corridor, they were jumped by a Flaaffy and a Girafarig. Lucar's Rock Slide and Sandra's Shadow Ball defeated the Flaaffy, leaving the Girafarig to fall beneath a barrage of Thunderbolts and Quick Attacks. Blackie was paralyzed in the process but quickly recovered. The corridor turned out to be a dead end, forcing the team to double back. A Flaaffy ambushed them along the way, nearly knocking Blackie and Sandra out before Lucar's Rock Slide knocked it out.

"Joy wasn't kidding. These guys are tough," Sandra admitted, munching on an Oran Berry.

Blackie nodded in agreement, eating his own Oran Berry. Once the pair was healed, the group continued onward through the mystery dungeon.

They barely even went around the corner before a Yanmega appeared. Memories of Buzz from the prison threatened to overwhelm Carlos for a moment before he shook them off. He didn't hesitate to electrocute the giant dragonfly, frying it in one hit. They tiptoed around a sleeping Flaaffy in the next room, passing through more empty rooms and corridors. Carlos grabbed 97 poke and was about to grab an orb when the ground clicked beneath him.

"Not again!" Carlos cried as a Yanmega and a Flaaffy appeared in the room thanks to the trap's spray.

A few Quick Attacks, Rock Slides, and a Dig attack was enough to defeat the pair. Carlos retrieved the Escape Orb he had attempted to grab before the trap deployed and headed for the next room. Two Yanmega ambushed them in the adjoining hall, requiring quite a combined effort of attacks to defeat. If not for a Reviver Seed being brought along, the mission would've ended with Carlos' unexpected defeat. Everyone was forced to down a Max Elixir to recover enough strength to keep using their attacks. A paralyzed Blackie's Dig defeated a Flaaffy trying to ambush them in the next room, leaving the way clear for Carlos to grab a Spurn Orb and for everyone to bolt up the stairs to safety.

On the tenth floor, they passed through quite a few empty halls and rooms before discovering the stairs. A Flaaffy and an Electabuzz were guarding them, however. Lucar knocked out the Flaaffy with Force Palm, leaving the Electabuzz to fall beneath Flamethrower and Dig. Carlos hurried up the stairs with his friends.

"Where…are we?" Carlos wondered, looking around.

"A room where travelers, like us, can take a rest midway through a mystery dungeon. They aren't very common, but they're extremely useful," Lucar replied. "We can get all our stuff in storage through the Kangaskhan Rock."

"We should rest while we have the chance," Sandra suggested, flopping to the ground. "I think we deserve it."

"We'll definitely need it. If those ten floors were hard, I don't want to take on the next few floors unprepared," Sunburst agreed.

"How much further must we go?" Blackie wondered.

"Must not be much farther," Carlos replied, looking at the ceiling. "Let's take a breather and organize our supplies. Then we'll keep going."

_Meanwhile, back in Treasure Town…_

"So that's what happened to your Water Float? My goodness!"

Marill and Azurill were chatting with the Kecleon brothers. Somehow, the topic of their Water Float came up, so the siblings explained the whole ordeal to the shopkeepers. Both lizards were in shock over the tale.

"Good thing you got Team Legend! They'll sure right that horrible wrong and make those Water Float-nappers pay!" the purple brother declared.

"Yeah! They've done so much for us lately," Marill admitted. "Saving Azurill, making sure we're okay, and now getting our Water Float. We're so grateful to them!"

"I just hope we're not being a bother to them," Azurill commented.

"A bother? Oh no! Nobody _ever _seems to be a bother to Team Legend! I'm sure they're more than happy to help you both out!" the green brother reassured.

"Indeed!" the purple brother nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Azurill asked, smiling.

"Thank you so much! I'm certain we'll have the Water Float back soon enough now that Team Legend is on the case!" Marill cried.

"Good day to you all!" a voice cried.

"Ah! Dusknoir, sir! Nice to see you this sunny day!" the Kecleon brother greeted merrily.

"Nice to see you as well," Dusknoir nodded as he drifted over. He looked down at the siblings. "Sorry to eavesdrop but I overheard bits of your conversation. Team Legend is helping you with something?"

"Somebody stole my Water Float from the beach," Azurill explained.

"How horrible! What scoundrels would do such a thing to a child?" Dusknoir demanded, eye narrowed angrily.

"I don't know," Azurill admitted. "But it's okay! Team Legend has gone to Amp Plains to get my Water Float back!"

"Amp Plains?!" Dusknoir yelped, reeling back in shock. "Are you certain that is where they've gone, little one?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Azurill nodded, frightened by the Ghost-type's outburst. "We've got the note right here."

The siblings showed him the note. As Dusknoir read it over, his eye widened in terror. The note fell from his grip as he drifted backward, shaking.

"Dusknoir, sir! Are you okay?" the Kecleon brothers cried, confused.

"That can't be right! At this time of year, Amp Plains is…" Dusknoir said shakily. "Oh my goodness! This is bad, _very_ bad!"

"What's wrong?!" Marill cried, frightened.

"I must go there immediately! Team Legend is in grave danger!" Dusknoir announced, quickly drifting away toward the town's exit.

"What?! Hold on, Dusknoir, sir! Wait! What's wrong?!" the Kecleon brother cried, waving their arms desperately within their shop.

Dusknoir was far out of earshot, however. He couldn't hear them. Even if he did, he showed no signs of stopping or coming back.

Azurill whimpered. "Big Brother, did we do something wrong? Is Team Legend in trouble?"

"No, it's okay," Marill reassured. "Sir Dusknoir will fix things. Team Legend will be okay."

"This is all our fault!" Azurill cried, tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, no! Please don't cry, Azurill!" the green Kecleon pleaded.

"How could this possibly be your fault? Whatever's wrong, you had no idea it could happen! You're not to blame!" the purple Kecleon exclaimed.

"Don't cry, Azurill. I'm sure Team Legend is okay," Marill said gently, hugging his little brother close. "Team Legend is strong. Nothing can beat them! I'm sure of it."


	61. Chapter 60: A War of Cats and Dogs

Chapter 60: A War of Cats and Dogs

After reorganizing their Treasure Bag's contents via the Kangaskhan Rock and resting for a while, the five Team Legend members were ready to keep going.

"Keep your eyes peeled. We're almost there, I think," Carlos said.

"Oh, I hope their Water Float is okay," Sandra whimpered.

"I'm sure it's fine. We'll get it and go. Whoever did this will be in huge trouble, guaranteed," Lucar reassured.

"Yep! We'll burn them to a crisp!" Sunburst declared, smirking.

"…Yeah," Blackie looked away, ears twitching curiously. _That smell… Could it be…?_

On the first floor of Far Amp Plains, they were immediately attacked by an Electabuzz. Lucar managed to beat it with Rock Slide before it could hurt anyone. A Tauros jumped them in the adjoining hall, making the massive mistake of using Rest to heal its damage. Lucar and Sandra took it down with ease. Grabbing 104 poke in the next room, they ran up the stairs.

On the second floor, they ended up in the room containing the stairs. Carlos snatched up 54 poke, leaving his teammates to deal with an attacking Dodrio. Blackie's Thunderbolt easily fried it, allowing the team to dash upstairs.

On the third floor, an Electrike attacked them. Sandra and Sunburst were both paralyzed by it before Lucar took it out with Rock Slide. Carlos grabbed a Pecha Scarf, an Apple, and a Warp Seed while the pair recovered. They went down a dead end hall briefly, forcing them to double back. A Tauros cornered them on the way, only to get electrocuted by Carlos. The stairs were in the next room, much to their joy as they headed up them.

On the fourth floor, they headed through an empty room and two corridors before being attacked by a Yanmega. Carlos easily dealt with it using Thunderbolt. A Dodrio blocked the way to the next room and was defeated in a similar manner. They passed through a few more empty rooms, grabbing a Warp Orb before finally finding the stairs to the next floor.

On the fifth floor, they were in a room with an Electrike and a Tauros. Lucar took out the Tauros with Force Palm while Sunburst roasted the Electrike with Flamethrower. Carlos grabbed 106 poke and an Escape Orb before heading down a nearby hall. Grabbing a Brown Gummi and 4 Iron Thorns along the way, they were attacked by a Dodrio just as they found the stairs. Twin Thunderbolts from the two Pikachu knocked it out. Carlos was free to grab a nearby Switcher Orb before heading up the steps.

On the sixth floor, they wound up stuck in a dead end hall momentarily before being jumped by an Ampharos. Lucar's Rock Slide and Blackie's Dig knocked it out with ease. They outran an Electabuzz through a few empty rooms and halls before locating the stairs. Just as Carlos approached the stairs, he heard the telltale click of a Trap Tile beneath his feet.

"Not again!" he shouted in frustration.

A Dodrio and an Ampharos dropped down from the ceiling, called by the attracting scent released by the Trap Tile. Blackie's Dig managed to knock out the Ampharos on the first hit, leaving the Dodrio to get shocked by the two Pikachu members of Team Legend. Grabbing a Heal Seed and two sets of 4 Iron Thorns, they again attempted to get up the stairs…only for another Ampharos to get in their way.

"This is ridiculous!" Sunburst declared, unleashing a super-powered Flamethrower upon it.

"It's like they don't want us to go any further," Sandra commented.

"All wild Pokemon are like that, though. Right?" Carlos asked, confused.

"Under most circumstances, yes," Lucar nodded. "But I think there's something else going on here…"

They headed up the stairs, not certain what that meant. There was still a tensed, charged sensation in the air. Something big was happening…

On the seventh floor, they made a mad dash for the stairs across the room. An attacking Dodrio missed them by inches.

On the eighth floor, Carlos electrocuted a nearby Dodrio before it could attack them. Grabbing a Clear Gummi, 4 Iron Thorns, and an X-Eye Seed in the massive room, they headed for a nearby exit. Carlos gave a frustrated yell when a Trap Tile clicked under his feet, calling up a Dodrio and a Tauros from the ceiling.

"How many of these traps are there?!" the Pikachu cried, shocking the Dodrio with Thunderbolt.

"Plenty to go around…and _then some_," Lucar replied, smashing the Tauros in the face with Force Palm.

Once they escaped the huge room, they were jumped in a corridor by an Ampharos. Lucar was paralyzed briefly, leaving Blackie to knock it out with Dig. A few more empty rooms and one really long and empty hall lead them to the stairs. The team ran up them gleefully.

On the ninth floor, they headed into the next room to pick up an Oran Berry. A Dodrio failed to ambush them, getting electrocuted for its trouble. A quick run through a bunch of empty rooms and halls lead to a dead end combo with a Dodrio ambush. It lasted less than a second against Carlos and Blackie. A quick backtrack and a swift defeat for a Tauros later, Carlos grabbed a Slumber Orb and led his team up the stairs.

"Is that it? Is it over?" Sandra asked.

"We're out of the mystery dungeon," Lucar confirmed.

They wound up in a huge rocky clearing. There were more dead trees and large boulders. A bolt of lightning passed over, thunder booming shortly after. The air was charged with enough static to make everybody's fur stand on end.

"Scary!" Sandra whimpered, creeping behind Carlos in fear.

"Are those two _sure_ this is where the letter said to come?" Sunburst asked, suddenly full of doubts. "I mean, how did they expect two kids to get this far?"

"Maybe they didn't want _Marill and Azurill_ to make it," Lucar replied, frowning. "Maybe they wanted _us_ to make it this far."

"You think this was a set-up?" Carlos asked, confused. "But why? Who would do that?"

A sudden burst of lightning made everyone jump.

"Let's find the Water Float and get out of here! Before we get struck by all that lightning!" Sunburst demanded.

"Hey, is that it?" Blackie asked, tugging on Carlos' tail and pointing ahead. "That shiny blue thing…?"

Up ahead of them was a strange blue tube-like thing. It had a glittering blue jewel on it. It was the only object to actively stand out against the gray landscape of Amp Clearing.

"Yeah! That has to be it!" Sandra declared.

"Then let's get it and go home!" Carlos cried, dashing toward it.

Everyone made a break for the Water Float, happy that the mission was finally over. Lucar suddenly stopped, jaw dropping. He couldn't believe what he was sensing.

"Guys, stop! We're not alone here! It's a trap! Get away!" the blind Riolu shouted.

Carlos nearly reached the Water Float when a large black lion pounced out of hiding. The Pikachu screamed, running back to Lucar. His team was at his heels, screaming. More black lions came out from the rocks, snarling and growling. At the top of the valley stood a massive lion with a huge mane. None of the felines seemed pleased to see the five explorers.

"Who are you? What do you want? This is our territory!" the massive lion, a Luxray, demanded.

"Sire, it's not them," one of the smaller lions, a Luxio, hissed.

"Maybe they won't come," piped up another.

"Cowardly mutts!"

"They've finally admitted who truly owns this territory—us!"

"About time they learned the truth!"

"What are they talking about?!" Sandra squeaked.

"I don't know," Lucar admitted.

"Look! We just want _that_ back!" Carlos shouted, pointing to the Water Float. "It was stolen by thieves and left here! We don't want any trouble!"

"It is on our territory. It is now ours. Leave!" the Luxray snarled, teeth bared angrily.

"No it's no—" Carlos was cut off by a shrill yowl.

"Sire! They're coming!" a Luxio cried from a nearby ridge.

"Darn him! I _told_ him what would happen if he showed his face here again!" the Luxray snarled. He swung around to glare at Carlos. "We'll deal with you later. Be grateful you have a chance at escape."

A loud howl broke through the clearing. Sandra cried out as a bunch of green dogs, Electrike, advanced on them and the Luxio tribe. At their head was a Manectric. The large blue and yellow canine growled at Luxray, who growled back.

"Leave now, Manectric! This land belongs to _us_, not you!" Luxray declared.

"How cute! I don't see your name on it, kitty!" Manectric taunted, unfazed by the feline's threats. "Last I recall, this land was _ours_. Leave and we might not need to rip out some fur."

The Electrike barked and snarled angrily. The Luxio responded with roars and hisses of rage. Luxray jumped down from his perch, prowling toward Manectric. The canine bared his fangs, holding his ground. The two leaders were soon nose to nose.

"Last chance, Manectric," Luxray warned harshly. "Leave."

"No dice, kitty cat," Manectric replied, smirking. "This land is ours. Better buzz off or things will get messy."

"You cocky mutt," Luxray growled.

"If I'm cocky, you're stupid," Manectric shot back.

"Fine," Luxray snorted, backing up. "You want to fight? Go ahead. Have fun seeing Giratina."

"Not if you see him first," Manectric countered.

It was like a silent signal had been sent. It happened so suddenly that Carlos was unsure who struck first—the Electrike or the Luxio. One moment they faced each other, the next they were at complete and total war. At the very center was Manectric and Luxray, wrestling on the ground as one tried to overpower the other. Lightning exploded overhead, thunder booming not long after.

The war between the two tribes had begun.

"What do we do?!" Sandra cried, terrified.

"Let's get out of here!" Sunburst wailed.

"Not without the Water Float!" Carlos argued. "We have to get it back!"

"The only way to get it is to go through all _that_, Carlos," Lucar reminded, pointing out the warring tribes. "We'll be torn to pieces!"

"We have to try!" Carlos encouraged. "We promised to bring it back! Marill and Azurill have searched for it since we formed our team. Now that we have a chance to finally get it back to them, you're going to run away instead?"

"…Ugh! Carlos is right!" Sandra admitted. "We can't let them down, not now! We promised!"

"Is a promise worth losing our lives over?!" Sunburst demanded.

"We could've lost our lives fighting for your kingdom, princess," Blackie pointed out. "Why not do the same for those two?"

"…Oh, fine! I can't believe I'm getting involved in this!" Sunburst complained.

"You knew what you were signing up for when you joined our team, Sunburst!" Carlos reminded.

Sunburst frowned, looking away. "I know… Let's get that Water Float back, yeah? Besides…those kids are waiting for us. We can't let them down now, not after all our talk."

"That's the spirit!" Sandra smiled.

"We'll have to go in fast and strong. These are two warring factions of Electric-types," Lucar said. "They might be preoccupied with each other now, but they could turn on us at any time. It might just be best to stop them now so we don't have to fight them on the way back out again."

"Good idea," Carlos agreed.

"That's a lot of Pokemon to fight," Sunburst muttered shakily.

"And there are five of us," Blackie reminded.

"We'll be fine," Carlos reassured. "Spread out and take down as many as you can. The quicker we get this done, the sooner we can leave. Okay?"

"Got it!" Sandra nodded.

"This'll be a challenge," Lucar admitted, smirking. "Hope we're up for it."

"Of course we are! We're Team Legend!" Sunburst declared. "Nothing can stop us as long as Carlos is leading us!"

"That doesn't make it easier," Blackie pointed out.

"Ready?" Carlos asked, cheeks sparking. "Set… GO!"

The five Team Legend members lunged into the fray. The warring lions and dogs barely noticed until the attacks hit them. Both sides quickly turned on the intruding Pokemon. The only ones not to notice them were Manectric and Luxray, who continued their own personal battle at the very center of the battlefield.

Lucar estimated that there were eight Electrike and eight Luxio to deal with. That was sixteen opponents in total. Luxray and Manectric were two more opponents and would need dealing with directly afterward. That made for eighteen enemies to fight.

Lucar unleashed Rock Slide, damaging a number of the foes around him. Blackie's Dig managed to knock out a nearby Electrike. A Luxio was quick to sneak up and hit Sandra with Spark, causing her to retaliate with Shadow Ball. Sunburst stepped back and used Flamethrower, managing to burn a few unfortunate Electrike and Luxio that weren't smart enough to dodge the searing burst of flame.

Carlos cried out as an Electrike bit down on his tail. A blast of lightning from a Luxio hit Sunburst, throwing her back. The two enemy tribes seem to be working together to defeat the intruders.

"I guess they aren't happy we're interfering," Lucar commented, dropping rocks down on his attackers.

"Who cares? Just keep attacking," Sunburst barked, crashing into a nearby Luxio with Quick Attack.

"Ah! Be careful of Static!" Blackie warned, lightning crackling from his cheeks.

Carlos pulled a handful of Iron Thorns from his Treasure Bag. "Use these!" he cried, tossing a few to Blackie and Lucar.

The sticks of iron hit the attacking Pokemon, throwing them back and causing massive damage. Sunburst dug out a few Blast Seeds when her Flamethrower began to weaken due to lack of PP, hitting the Electric-types with a volley of burning flames. Their numbers began to dwindle as the Electrike and Luxio collapsed, defeated by the Exploration Team.

"Only a few more left!" Sandra realized. "Hang in there!"

_/This was one of the hardest battles I had to face so far on our journey. It was like reliving the battle at the Northern Desert Kingdom, only it was pure electricity instead of Ground, Rock, and Steel-types. We were surrounded and attacked on all sides. Thank goodness for all those Iron Thorns we had! If we didn't have those, we might've been in real trouble./_

When the last of them collapsed, it was a big relief. Carlos was quick to pull out a few Max Elixirs and Oran Berries. Everyone gladly indulged in those, eager to replenish their strength before daring to attack the tribes' leaders.

"That was tough!" Sunburst gasped. "Good going with the Iron Thorns, Carlos."

"Those Blast Seeds helped, too," Lucar reminded. "Good thinking."

"I was low on Flamethrower and Ember would do crud to those guys! I didn't have much choice," Sunburst huffed, annoyed.

"We're not out of the woods yet, guys," Carlos reminded, nervously looking at the two remaining Pokemon.

All throughout Team Legend's battle, Manectric and Luxray remained locked in battle. They rolled and wrestled and bit and clawed at one another. They appeared to be equally matched, unable to overpower each other by pure strength alone. Bursts of electricity engulfed them as they attempted to do damage to one another.

"Think we can take them?" Sandra asked, frightened.

"We don't have a choice," Carlos replied, standing up. "Everyone ready?"

"Blackie should do the first hit," Lucar suggested. "He'll be underground, so the electricity won't hurt him. It'll break them up and get their attention."

"Sounds like a good plan," Sunburst nodded.

"Blackie? Are you up for that?" Carlos asked, looking at the black Pikachu.

Blackie nodded. "I can do that."

Blackie began to dig, vanishing underground within minutes. Luxray and Manectric continued to roll and fight, unaware of an incoming attack. The pair suddenly shot into the air, hit by the shockwave that was Dig. Blackie had also tossed in a Focus Punch for extra damage before diving back underground to avoid a counterattack. The two tribe leaders split apart, snarling and growling angrily. Both whipped around to glare at the Exploration Team.

"Grrrrrr! How dare you!" Manectric barked.

"So, you chose to stay instead of escape. How foolish," Luxray growled.

"We're not leaving without that Water Float!" Carlos declared.

"Too bad, mouse. You won't be leaving at all!" Manectric snorted. "Electrike, get…them?"

"Luxio? What happened to you guys?!" Luxray demanded, spotting his fallen comrades.

"You… You dare to attack my kin?!" Manectric howled angrily. "You'll pay. I'll make you lot pay!"

"Prepare for battle. You won't be escaping this time!" Luxray snarled, enraged.

"Bring it!" Carlos cried, unafraid.

Lucar used Rock Slide, crashing a bunch of large rocks down upon the pair. Manectric dodged aside with Quick Attack before hitting Sandra with Thunder Wave, paralyzing her instantly. Luxray hit the Eevee with Bite directly afterward. Both were driven off by a column of flame from Sunburst.

"Back off, you bullies!" the Quilava shouted.

"Thanks," Sandra said, staggering to her paws.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"I'll be fine," Sandra reassured, wincing in pain.

Manectric howled in agony as Lucar smashed him in the chest with Force Palm. Luxray bit back a roar as he was hit with twin Thunderbolts from Carlos and Blackie. Sandra managed to fire off a Shadow Ball that hit Manectric, exploding in his face. The canine retaliated with Spark, electrocuting Sunburst in vengeance for the flames.

"Take this!" Carlos yelled, throwing a Slumber Orb at the pair.

"What? Is tha…?" Luxray trailed off, falling over.

"You cheating…scum…" Manectric collapsed, asleep.

"Quickly! Before they wake up!" Sunburst yelped.

Rocks, electricity, flames, balls of shadow, and punches were unleashed upon the snoozing foes. By the time they finally awoke, Manectric could hardly stand. Luxray roared in rage, jaws snapping shut on Carlos.

"You!" he snarled angrily. "You will pay!"

"Not today, he won't!" Sandra argued, suddenly appearing right in the lion's face.

An explosion from a close-range Shadow Ball took the lion Pokemon out. Carlos bounded away, safe and sound now that he was free of Luxray's deadly jaws. A loud howl signaled Manectric's swift defeat, the canine having been buried beneath a pile of rocks by Lucar's Rock Slide.

"…We won," Sandra realized. "Carlos, we won!"

"Yahoo!" Sunburst cried.

"That was harder than expected…but we did it," Lucar smiled.

"Great job, everyone!" Carlos congratulated.

"Uh… Guys?" Blackie said nervously. "I don't think we're done yet."

"Huh?" Carlos looked at the other Pikachu, confused.

Blackie pointed to the fallen Luxio and Electrike…who were no longer fallen. They were staggering to their feet, coughing and gasping. Many were growling and glaring at the five Exploration Team members.

Sandra gasped, shocked. "No way! How can the—"

**RRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!**

"Oh no!" Sunburst screamed.

Luxray got to his feet, electricity dancing over his thick black fur. The pile of rocks nearby suddenly fell away, revealing an equally enraged Manectric. The pair stepped forward, their tribes behind them. None of them looked too terribly pleased.

_/Even now, I'm not sure what caused these guys to get back up. We hadn't spent too long fighting Luxray and Manectric. We were certain they were all unconscious. Did the defeat of their leaders reawaken the tribes? And did the reawakening of the tribes cause Luxray and Manectric to wake up, too? I'm not sure I'll ever know the answer to that question./_

"You dared to interfere in our battle and hurt our kin. Then you dared to fight us," Luxray hissed.

"You brats weren't involved in this fight, yet you forcibly included yourselves. For that, you get the rare honor of seeing our tribes actually work together," Manectric growled.

"We just wanted that Water Float back! If you had listened to us the first time, none of this would've needed to happen!" Sunburst shouted. "You brought this on yourselves!"

"Then consider this brought on yourselves, too," Luxray declared.

"Sayonara, kiddos!" Manectric chuckled cruelly.

Luxray and Manectric suddenly began to glow bright. Electricity collected heavily on their fur, sparking and shooting out from their bodies. The lightning suddenly shot forward, turning into a pair of glowing spheres in front of the two tribe leaders.

"Look out!" Lucar cried.

The spheres shot forward, hurtling toward the five Pokemon at high speed. Sunburst screamed, dropping to the ground. Blackie was shoved down, Lucar pouncing on top of him and Sunburst in the hopes of protecting them both. Carlos pulled Sandra close, trying to defend her in a similar manner.

_Oh Arceus,_ Sandra thought. _Are we going to die here?_


End file.
